On April 2, 2025, GCProfiles officially released its "2025 GCP China Legal Elite 40" list. With their outstanding business capabilities, exceptional performance, and strong market reputation in the fields of corporate mergers and acquisitions, private equity
investment, and private funds, Llinks partners Mr. Colin Shi and Ms. Candice Du have been recognized in the "2025 GCP China Legal Elite 40" list.
Colin Shi, Partner
Mr. Shi specializes in private equity/venture capital, fund formation, M&A, as well as corporate and foreign direct investment. He has extensive experience in advising complex deal structure design and capital re-organization benefited from his thorough understanding of relevant industry policies and field practice.
Mr. Shi has advised a wide array of clients, including domestic and international investment funds, multinational companies, listed companies, start-ups, and growth companies; which spread over a variety of industries, including hi-tech, consumption, healthcare, chemical engineering, education, media, telecom, the Internet, environmental protection, etc.
Mr. Shi has been recognized as a leading lawyer in the fields of private equity investment and mergers and acquisitions by several prestigious international legal ranking institutions, including Chambers and Partners, asialaw, IFLR1000 , and The Legal 500, for many consecutive years. Additionally, in 2015, Mr. Shi was named one of the 'China 30 under 30' by LEGALBAND. He was also honored as one of the Top 15 Practitioners in the New Economy by LEGALBAND in 2020 and included in the "Top 15 Special Recommended Lawyers: High Technology and Artificial Intelligence" list in 2023. Furthermore, He was named as a Rising Stars 2021 TOP 40 by 'China Business Law Journal' and included in the 2024-2025 directory of elite lawyers in China. Besides, he was awarded CLECSS 2021 'Top 10 Young Elite Lawyers' and recognized for two consecutive years in 'Best Lawyers Recommended by GCs 2025' compiled by Legal Guru Club (Fa Lao Hui) and Legal Hall of Fame (Ming Lu Tang), and has been named among 'Leading Practitioners' in Who's Who Legal 2021 Experts List for many consecutive years.
GCProfiles' Recognition
Mr. Colin Shi has long been dedicated to the fields of corporate mergers and acquisitions, private equity investment, and private funds. He has led and participated in highly influential investment and acquisition projects, including Sinochem International's acquisition of the Singapore-listed Halcyon Agri Corporation Limited and Qina's public market tender offer for Luyang Energy Conservation. His business achievements and industry reputation are impressive. He possesses outstanding professional competence and team leadership abilities, with a profound understanding of business. When faced with complex and rare transaction challenges, Lawyer Shi can accurately dissect each component of the transaction structure, keenly identify potential risks, and promote the smooth execution of transactions with feasible solutions that balance commercial considerations and legal requirements. The legal service solutions he provides are often praised by clients.
Client Testimonial
"Mr. Shi is very professional and can effectively address a wide range of questions from clients, responding promptly and efficiently. His language expression and logical analysis skills are exceptional, which enabled him as our long-term legal consultant."
Candice Du, Partner
Ms. Du obtained her LL.B. and BA degrees from Minzu University of China and completed the FMBA program at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. She is currently an Arbitrator at the Shenzhen International Arbitration Court.
Ms. Du specializes in providing legal services in cross-border investment, financing and M&A projects in the fields of corporate & commerce, cross-border investment and financing. She is particularly top-notch at providing constructive opinions and solutions for complex disputes and business-derived disputes to listed companies, large group enterprises and financial institutions.
In the field of private equity investment/venture capital, Ms. Du supports a broad range of clients from well-known domestic and foreign investment funds to multinational companies, startups and fast-growing companies, with an industry coverage of consumer goods, TMT, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, industrial and high-end manufacturing, new energy and others.
Ms. Du has been recognized in The Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner in the Investment Funds Practice Area in the Greater China Region Guide and as the 2024 Recommended Lawyer in Investment Funds. She has also been acknowledged among LEGALBAND's 2024 Top 15 Female Lawyers and " ALB China Top 15 Rising Lawyers" in 2023 and was recommended by The Legal 500 in the Investment Funds category in 2023. She also has been recognized in 2021 The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific Region List (Private Equity) and has been listed in the 2016 LEGALBAND 'China 30 under 30', and the 2020 LEGALBAND Top 15 Regional Stars and 2020 CLECSS 'Top 10 Young Elite Lawyers'.
GCProfiles' Recognition
Ms. Candice Du has made significant achievements in the fields of private equity investment, venture capital, and cross-border investment and financing, with her professional competence and service standards widely recognized by clients. Since starting her practice, Ms. Du has handled investment, financing, and mergers and acquisitions for numerous leading funds, large groups, financial institutions, and publicly listed companies, successfully managing several benchmark cases and accumulating extensive practical experience. When faced with highly challenging transaction issues and complex disputes, Ms. Du is often able to quickly clarify the project's context and pinpoint the core issues. While comprehensively managing the pace of transactions and associated risks for clients, she efficiently advances transactions with her professional legal skills, and her ability to design solutions and facilitate communication has earned her high praise from clients.
Client Testimonial
"Ms. Du has a strong character, high professionalism, and possesses excellent communication and collaboration skills, along with a strong customer service awareness."
