Xiao is Quinn Emanuel’s Chair of China Practice and Chief Representative of the Beijing Office. A Chinese lawyer trained in the U.S., Xiao has a unique practice focusing on representing China-based companies and individuals in cross-border litigation, arbitrations, and government enforcement actions. Legal500 (China) praised Xiao as the “Litigation Lawyer of the Year 2024” (Foreign Firm). LawDragon has consecutively recognized Xiao three times in its Global Litigation 500 awards, listing him as one of the only three China Mainland-based litigators recognized.
Xiao is battle-tested in all stages of litigation proceedings in federal and state courts in the U.S., including dispositive motions, depositions, jury and bench trials and appeals. He is particularly experienced in issues that uniquely affect cross-border litigation involving Chinese parties, such as service of process, jurisdiction, extraterritorial application of U.S. statutes, judicial assistance, and cross-border discovery.
Back in 2013, Xiao was a member of a four-person trial team that won a bench trial in the Southern District of New York for a French conglomerate, which set the first precedent in a public market purchase case where the defendant successfully rebutted the fraud-on-the-market presumption. Focusing on representing China-based businesses in recent years, Xiao has helped a number of Chinese companies achieve favorable results in major U.S. litigations. Between 2020 and 2023, Xiao was recognized in The American Lawyer Litigation Daily’s “Litigator of the Week” reports three times for helping Chinese companies achieve victories in landmark litigations, including dismissing securities class actions in the U.S. and successfully defending five major Chinese state-owned banks in a U.S. federal court against a motion seeking sanctions of USD 130 million.
As a white-collar lawyer, Xiao has advised a number of multinational companies in conducting internal investigations and due diligence exercises with respect to operations in China. He has also represented many Chinese companies and individuals in governmental investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”).
In the field of international arbitration, Xiao has had extensive experience in arbitration proceedings involving Chinese parties, including for example advising a Chinese state-owned energy company with respect to an AAA arbitration relating to a project in Africa and ICSID arbitration relating to Latin America, representing a U.S.-listed Chinese company against another Chinese company in HKIAC arbitration, representing a Chinese company against a U.S. company in an AAA arbitration, and advising a number of Chinese companies and multinational companies with respect to arbitration proceedings in the SCC Arbitration Institute, the CIETAC, the AAA, and the HKIAC.
Xiao has been consistently recognized by Chambers & Partners as a leading lawyer in “Corporate Investigations” (Greater China) and “Dispute Resolution: Litigation” (International Firms – Greater China) categories, where references praised him as “one of the best litigation lawyers that I know in the market,” “sharp, skillful and efficient,” and “can give very reliable real-world advice.” In 2024, China Business Law Journal included Xiao among its A-List of “Growth Drivers” (International). Legal500 (China) highlighted praises from clients that Xiao “is the best lawyer around for combining the actual situation in China with the laws of the United States” and that Xiao leads a team that has “excellent legal expertise across China and the US jurisdictions - deep insights into business realities.”
Xiao completed a half-year internship with the Chinese Supreme People’s Court (No. 4 Civil Division) and a judicial externship with the Honorable Judge Rosemary M. Collyer of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Xiao has taught an introductory course on U.S. civil litigation at Peking University Law School and is frequently invited to lecture at universities, law societies, and industry organizations on topics relating to international arbitration, the FCPA, commercial disputes, anti-bribery, internal controls, and U.S. litigation.
- Class Action Litigation
- Data Privacy & Security
- Domestic U.S. Arbitration
- Government & Regulatory Litigation
- Investigations, Government Enforcement & White Collar Criminal Defense Practice
- Entertainment & Media Litigation
- Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation
- Securities Litigation
- Transnational Litigation
- Artificial Intelligence
- International Arbitration
- Harvard Law School
(J.D., cum laude, 2010)
- Cambridge University
(LL.M., 2007) - Peking University Law School
(LL.B., 2006)
- The State Bar of New York
- The Chinese Bar (does not hold an active license)
- English
- Mandarin
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Beijing & New York):
- Counsel; Asia Pacific Counsel, 2017-2018
- Associate, 2013-2017
- Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP (New York):
- Associate, 2011-2013
- Associate, 2011-2013
- Fangda Partners (Beijing):
- Associate, 2010-2011
- Ranked by Chambers Greater China – Corporate Investigations (Greater China) and Dispute Resolution: Litigation (International Firms – Greater China), Leading Lawyer, 2025
- Ranked by Chambers Global - Dispute Resolution: Litigation (International Firms), 2024
- Named Lawyer of the Year in Litigation by the Legal 500 China Awards 2024
- Included by China Business Law Journal in it’s a-List of “Growth Drivers” (International), 2024
- Ranked by Chinese Legal Hall of Fame among the Top 50 Best Lawyers, Recommended, 2024
- Recognized by Benchmark Litigation - White Collar Crime - Future Star, 2024
- Visiting Professor, Peking University Law School (taught Introduction to Civil Litigation in the United States).
- Designed and taught the dispute resolution courses at the Shanghai Bar Association’s annual training camp for foreign-related practitioners.
- Frequently lectures in both Chinese and English on topics relating to the FCPA, anti- corruption, commercial disputes, internal controls and U.S. litigation.