On 30 June 2021, the “2021 edition of the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals” is released. The 2021 edition reveals the IAM Patent 1000 2021 rankings, which identifies world-class individual and firm-wide private practice patent expertise. The guide was compiled following an extensive research process. Over 5 months, IAM’s team of 8 full-time researchers read through hundreds of detailed firm submissions and conducted in the region of 1,800 interviews with numerous attorneys-at-law, patent attorneys and in-house counsel to gather market intelligence on the leading players in the field.

In the guide’s China (Domestic) chapter, Wanhuida Intellectual Property is ranked in the silver band in the category of “Litigation” and “Prosecution”. Clients commend the firm’s expertise in providing “very quick responses that are always highly professional and well-founded, even when it comes to complex and strategic IP issues”. Clients are impressed by the firm’s approach of “always providing a competent team”, in case “there are urgent topics that require more capacity”. The firm’s fair and transparent cost scheme is also applauded by the clients.

The firm’s Partner Xiaoling Duan is listed as a recommended individual in the prosecution field for coordinating filing programmes to the great satisfaction of applicants. On the contentious front, the firm presents a range of talents including veterans Dr. S Sam Li and Tiejun Tang. Sam is known for being more than fit to contest disputes in the most complex of high-tech areas, including wireless SEPs. Tiejun is touted for her competence in tricky biotech litigation. The “trusted” Shuhua (Mark) Zhang “is a go-to for the cases that matter most in business terms”, with a successful record stretching all the way to the Supreme People’s Court. Feng (Janet) Zheng “does an amazing job” in the courtroom. “She is very sharp in defining and implementing a strategy and always delivers tailor-made solutions.”

Individuals qualify for a listing in the IAM Patent 1000 when they receive sufficient positive feedback from peers and clients with knowledge of their practice and the market within which they operate. Only those individuals identified by market sources for their exceptional skill sets and profound insights into patent matters feature in the guide.

The IAM Patent 1000 also identifies the leading firms in the jurisdictions it covers. Where appropriate, firms are listed in prosecution, transactions and litigation tables. All those named only qualify for a listing on the basis of the depth of their expertise, market presence and the level of work on which they are typically engaged.