China counsel, built for foreign companies

We advise foreign investors across the full lifecycle of doing business in China — market entry and structuring, corporate governance, commercial contracts, compliance and data, cross-border M&A, and dispute resolution.

Who we are

Licensed to practise on 3 August 2018 and based at 7 Jianguomennei Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing — on the Chang'an Avenue corridor near China's central regulators and courts — Gaojin is a boutique, founder-led firm built around cross-border work — China-qualified, working in both English and Chinese, so a foreign board and its Chinese counsel can speak directly, without a layer of translation in between.

Who you will work with

Aaron Lv (吕喆)

Partner, Beijing Gaojin Law Firm · Licensed to practise in China since 2004

PRC lawyer licence no. 11101200410425302 · Full profile

Aaron Lv (吕喆), Partner. Aaron has been licensed to practise law in China since 2004, and a partner at Gaojin since the firm opened in 2018. Before that he was Legal Counsel at CEMEX (2011–2014), the global building-materials group, supporting its China operations on M&A, corporate governance, litigation and commercial contracts. From 2006 to 2011 he practised corporate and commercial law at Grandall Law Firm, one of China’s leading full-service firms. He holds a law degree from Nankai University, later studied at Tsinghua University, and works in English and Chinese.

His career history and education are on his LinkedIn profile. His entry on the national register run by the All China Lawyers Association shows his photograph, his Chinese name 吕喆, his full-time practising status and his first approval to practise in April 2004. His practising licence number is 11101200410425302. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice lists the same lawyer and firm in its own system, with the licence number in full and the firm's current annual assessment, though in a different set of fields. To reach him directly, message WhatsApp.

Why foreign clients work with us

What sets this practice apart is having sat on both sides of the table — in-house as Legal Counsel at CEMEX, a global multinational, and in private practice, first at Grandall Law Firm, one of China's leading domestic firms, and now at Gaojin. We know not just the law, but how foreign companies actually decide, and the commercial and cross-cultural realities behind a China call.

That's why our advice tends to arrive as a short list of decisions and filings rather than a memo — China's fast-changing rules, translated into clear, practical steps so foreign teams can move with confidence.

How we work

• Cross-border by default — remote instruction, English-language reporting, and coordination across time zones are normal for us.
• Prevention and protection under one roof — the same lawyer who sets a matter up can stand behind it in a dispute.
• Scope and fees in writing — agreed before any work starts; see how engagement and fees work.

How engagement and fees work

1. A first conversation. Tell us what has happened by email, WhatsApp or a video call. We tell you whether it is a matter we can take on, and what we would need to see.
2. Scope and fee in writing. Before any work starts you receive the scope, the fee and what is not included, in writing.
3. An engagement letter with the firm. Under Article 25 of the PRC Lawyers Law a lawyer takes instructions only through their law firm, so the engagement letter is signed with Beijing Gaojin Law Firm, never with an individual.
4. Payment to the firm’s own account. Every invoice is issued by the firm and paid into the firm’s corporate bank account in the name 北京高金律师事务所. Article 40 of the same law prohibits lawyers from collecting fees privately, so treat any request to pay a personal account or a third party as a warning sign, whoever makes it.

How the fee is set depends on the work: a fixed fee for a defined task such as a demand letter or a filing, fees by stage for a dispute, or a retainer for ongoing advice. For what court proceedings themselves cost, and how contingency arrangements are regulated, see how much it costs to sue a Chinese company.

Where we work

Room 1226-1, 12/F, Tower 2, Guanghua Chang'an Building, 7 Jianguomennei Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100005. View our practising licence and bar record.

Get in touch