Cathy Qu
Vice President, Senior Partner, Director of Shanghai Labor Law Center III
Personal Profile
Ms. Qu Xiaorong (Cathy) has over 20 years of experience in labour law practice in China, with deep expertise in PRC labour law and HR compliance. She advises clients on a broad range of employment matters, with a particular focus on workforce restructuring, separation negotiations, litigation and arbitration representation, policy design, and multi-faceted dispute resolution strategies.
Ms. Qu serves as standing counsel to a number of Fortune 500 companies, and has successfully handled numerous high-impact non-contentious projects. Many of her clients have been consistently recognised as "Top Employer" by the Top Employers Institute. She is a frequently invited speaker, having delivered over 100 bilingual training sessions to government regulators, industry associations, international chambers of commerce, and leading multinational corporations. She has been consistently ranked as a leading lawyer in Labour & Employment by Chambers, The Legal 500, ALB and other internationally recognised legal directories.
Ms. Qu is widely recognised for her expertise in labour arbitration and litigation, and has been named by Benchmark Litigation as a "Top 100 Women in Litigation" in the Asia-Pacific region for seven consecutive years, as well as a "Dispute Resolution Star". The cases she has led have been selected as "Top 10 Outstanding Cases on the Protection of Women and Children's Rights" by the Shanghai Judicial System, "Top 10 Typical Labour Dispute Cases" by the Shanghai Second Intermediate People's Court, and "Top 10 Typical Cases on Disciplinary Termination Disputes" by the Shanghai Changning District People's Court.
Representative Matters
Arbitration & Litigation
Secured a favourable outcome for a leading multinational pharmaceutical company in an employment dispute arising from workplace sexual harassment; the case was selected as one of the "Top 10 Outstanding Cases on the Protection of Women and Children's Rights" by the Shanghai Judicial System.
Represented a biopharmaceutical company in recovery proceedings against an employee, achieving a successful outcome; the case was named as one of the "Top 10 Typical Labour Dispute Cases" jointly by the Shanghai Second Intermediate People's Court and the Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.
Acted for an international manufacturing company in a dispute involving dismissal for serious misconduct; the case was recognised as one of the "Top 10 Typical Cases on Disciplinary Termination Disputes" by the Shanghai Changning District People's Court.
Represented a US-affiliated financial services institution in a non-compete dispute with a former China-based senior executive, successfully avoiding claims in excess of RMB 7 million.
Advised a multinational corporation in a series of employment disputes with its senior executives, with aggregate claims exceeding RMB 10 million, and secured comprehensive victories across over 30 separate judicial proceedings in 10 cases.
Acted for a globally renowned financial institution in a dismissal dispute involving serious employee misconduct, and obtained full successes at first instance, on appeal, in retrial and in protest proceedings, despite an adverse arbitration award.
Represented a Fortune 500 company in seven employment arbitration and litigation matters concerning employee false reimbursement, conflicts of interest and trade secret misappropriation, all of which resulted in favourable outcomes.
Advised a leading e-commerce company in a collective arbitration brought by nearly 100 employees, and achieved a complete victory after nine hearings before different arbitration tribunals.
Non-contentious Projects
Assisted a major logistics company in executing a workforce restructuring and employment relationship transfer project covering over 10,000 employees across more than 130 cities nationwide.
Advised numerous clients on dozens of workforce restructuring projects involving over 100 employees each in the context of plant relocations, early dissolution and organisational change.
Represented multiple UK- and US-based law firms in closing their China representative offices and implementing consensual separation arrangements with all local staff.
Acted for the headquarters of a US-based enterprise in conducting compliance investigations into and effecting the termination of its China General Manager and Chief Financial Officer, with all subsequent employment disputes resolved in the client's favour.
Provided over a decade of standing legal counsel services to a Fortune 500 group, delivering legal opinions and solutions on employment matters across its China affiliates, and assisting more than twenty brands within the group in establishing and updating their internal employment policies and rules.
Advised a Fortune 500 company on the establishment of trade unions for multiple domestic affiliates, designing a comprehensive implementation framework and standardised procedures.
Provided integrated services to a prominent semiconductor company, a listed pharmaceutical company, and a Fortune 500 automotive manufacturer on non-compete risk assessment, system design and legal documentation.
Assisted multiple multinational corporations in developing compliance frameworks for the protection of employees' personal information, including policy and agreement drafting as well as day-to-day compliance advisory services.
Memberships & Affiliations
Consulting Expert on Civil and Administrative Cases, Supreme People's Procuratorate
Member, Labor and Social Security Law Committee, Shanghai Bar Association
Member, Administrative Reconsideration Committee, Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Government
China Counsel, Innangard (International Employment Law Alliance)
Honors & Awards
2019–2026: Recognised as a "Leading Lawyer" in Labour & Employment for Asia-Pacific/Greater China by Chambers and Partners.
2020–2026: Named a "Top 100 Women in Litigation" and "Dispute Resolution Star" in Asia-Pacific by Benchmark Litigation.
2017–2026: Ranked as a "Recommended Lawyer" (2017–2019), a "Practice Head" (2020–2023), and a "Leading Partner" (2024–2026) in the Asia-Pacific region by The Legal 500.
2023–2025: Shortlisted for the "China Labour & Employment Lawyer of the Year" award by The Legal 500.
2019–2024: Listed as a "Global Leading Practitioner" in Labour & Employment for Asia-Pacific by Who's Who Legal.
2025–2026: Recognised as a "Thought Leader" by Lexology Index (formerly Who's Who Legal).
2021, 2022–2026: Shortlisted for the "Coastal Region Women Lawyer of the Year" award (2021) and for the "East China Woman Lawyer of the Year" award (2022–2025) by Asian Legal Business.
2024: Named a "Top 15 Labour Lawyer" by LEGALBAND.
2025–2026: Selected as a "Client Choice Lawyer" on the "General Counsel Recommended Chinese Lawyers List" by Legal Hall of Fame.
2021–2025: Honoured as one of the "Top Ten Committee Members" of the Labour and Social Security Law Research Committee of the Shanghai Bar Association.
+8621 58883253-825
qxr@laodongfa.com
