Zhiheng News | The only way to profit that most minority shareholders cannot seek! Lawyer Yu Yongbo's eighth lecture on "Company Law 18" is brilliantly presented
On the morning of May 23, 2026, Attorney Yu Yongbo’s eighth session of the 2026 “18 Lectures on Corporate Law — Selection of Causes of Action in Corporate Litigation and Trial Strategies” series concluded successfully.
The course begins in an innovative way, introducing the topic with a short film titled “Profit Sharing,” which was written and directed by Attorney Yu. In just three minutes, the video skillfully visualizes the key and challenging issues in corporate profit distribution disputes, using scenario-based dramatization to provide a clear and intuitive analysis of the practical problems. During the lecture, Attorney Yu guided the participants to identify issues within the film, encouraging them to engage in in-depth learning through critical thinking. The immersive and innovative teaching format left the participants with a wealth of knowledge and insights.
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Student Reflections
Reflections of Course Participants in 2026
Reflections of Course Participants in 2025
Reflections of Course Participants in 2024
Attorney Yu Yongbo, focusing on three core themes—choice of cause of action, courtroom strategy and tactics, and the essential elements of litigation—conducted a comprehensive, systematic review and a meticulous, practice-oriented analysis of corporate profit distribution disputes. His lecture was marked by rigorous, clear logic and a laser‑sharp focus on practical key issues, offering his legal colleagues an exceptional professional presentation that seamlessly blended profound legal theory with frontline litigation experience.
At the outset of the course, Attorney Yu stated, “The only avenue for profit that most minority shareholders desperately seek but cannot obtain!” Taking this as the entry point, the course precisely identifies its core objectives, clarifies the legal framework governing such disputes, meticulously delineates the boundaries of applicable causes of action within related categories, and delves into the underlying interests and demands of all parties, thereby enabling participants to accurately assess the parties’ claims and develop a clear and structured approach to case handling.
During the lecture, Attorney Yu compared the provisions of the new and old Company Laws, drawing on cases published in the Supreme People’s Court Gazette as well as the latest cases added to the court’s database. Focusing on the two core categories of discretionary dividends (voluntary dividends) and mandatory dividends (compulsory dividends), he systematically analyzed the key challenges and practical difficulties involved. The class employs question-and-answer interactions to stimulateTrainee’sThinking, progressively analyzing the subject from basic to advanced levels and clarifying the core logic underlying the adjudication of profit distribution cases.
What was most innovative was that, even before the release of the draft judicial interpretation of the new Company Law, Attorney Yu, while leading the enforcement team in handling a corporate profit-distribution case involving an amount exceeding RMB 100 million, put forward a forward-looking view: even if there is an infringement arising from the abuse of shareholder rights by a controlling shareholder, minority shareholders should bring a claim for liability for damages to the company’s interests to recover the illegally obtained proceeds and return them to the company; they should not directly file a lawsuit to assert their individual dividend rights.
This view is corroborated in the latest draft of the Judicial Interpretation of the Company Law (for public comment). The draft no longer follows the previous judicial approach regarding mandatory dividend distribution; instead, it aligns cases of unauthorized dividend distribution with Article 211 of the 2023 Company Law and matches instances of prolonged failure to distribute dividends with the provisions of Article 89 of the 2023 Company Law, thereby fully validating the practical reasoning advanced by Attorney Yu.
The entire course unfolds in a progressive manner, comprehensively dissecting key points—from the legal theoretical framework and statutory application to practical case handling—thereby profoundly enlightening the participants and yielding substantial insights.
At the conclusion of the course, Attorney Yu succinctly summarized the two key practical considerations in this case: “the abstract and the concrete” and “autonomy versus intervention.” These insights help legal professionals stay abreast of emerging judicial trends under the new law, enhance their ability to defend in profit-distribution disputes, and comprehensively improve their capacity to handle commercial disputes and manage overall corporate legal risks.
Instructor: Attorney Yu Yongbo
The venue was packed.
Course content
Unlike academic and judicial approaches to teaching corporate dispute courses, this course adopts a lawyer’s practical perspective, systematically presenting case-handling experience for each of the 25 causes of action relevant to corporate disputes and providing practical guidance for every one. Specifically, this includes: the identification of business opportunities under each cause of action, the key challenges in courtroom advocacy and cross-examination, the interrelationships among different causes of action, as well as the legislative rationale and evolving trends underlying the relevant legal principles. This course is highly systematic and practice-oriented.
Course response
How can you identify business opportunities and accurately select the appropriate case type based on customer inquiries?
What unconventional strategies can be employed during courtroom cross-examination to gain a strategic advantage?
Under each cause of action, what are the specific legal difficulties and the conflicting judicial views?
What are the underlying logic, legislative intent, and doctrinal foundations of the difficult issues in corporate law?
What are the specific impacts of the new Company Law on corporate litigation? What challenges in judicial practice does it address? And what new issues will it give rise to?
Course Features
Drawing on the eight-year track record of the Shareholder Litigation Research Association’s effective seminar format, this work offers a more comprehensive and advanced synthesis.
On-site group discussions with opposing sides help participants master both defensive and offensive viewpoints, enabling them to respond flexibly to client needs.
Pioneering the concept of business identification, which helps trainees build a solid foundation and then expand into multiple business areas.
Return to the statutory provisions to address ambiguities and difficulties, analyze the legislative intent and the underlying legal principles, and proactively summarize emerging trends in judicial application of the new law.
Course Vision
Comprehensive knowledge of corporate law and corporate structure—gain a quick understanding of the underlying principles.
Advanced Litigation Thinking for Commercial Lawyers: Precisely Identifying Key Factors for Success
Mature shareholder litigation strategies—confidently mastering commercial court proceedings.
In-depth Analysis of the Cutting-Edge New Company Law: Seize Business Opportunities Ahead of the Curve
Suitable for:
Commercial lawyers, corporate legal counsel, as well as major and minor shareholders of companies and directors, supervisors, and senior management who are interested in corporate law.
Course Schedule
Introduction to Attorney Yu Yongbo
Lawyer Yu Yongbo is a seasoned attorney with nearly twenty years of practice. He currently serves as a director of the Shenzhen Law Society, founder and president of the Shareholder Litigation Research Association, and senior equity partner at Guangdong
. Has previously worked at a listed company (Yantian Port Co., Ltd.), a government agency (Shenzhen State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission), and a large private enterprise.Admitted as a registered foreign lawyer with the Law Society of Hong Kong.
In 2017, I founded the Shareholder Litigation Research Association and, for ten years, have provided free guidance to 110 members of the association, organized 440 seminars, published 440 in-depth analyses of professional cases, and studied over 41,500 corporate law cases. Has acted as counsel in numerous significant and complex corporate disputes heard by the Supreme People’s Court, possessing extensive practical experience in corporate litigation.
He is the author of “Common Sense Has Fooled You,” “Decoding Shareholder Wars,” and “Judicial Perspectives on Corporate Disputes and Strategies for Litigation.”
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