Zhiheng News | The most tragic, chaotic, disjointed and poorest group of cases in corporate litigation | The tenth lecture of lawyer Yu Yongbo's "18 Lectures on Company Law" is brilliantly presented
On the morning of June 27, 2026, the tenth session of Attorney Yu Yongbo’s 2026 annual course series, “18 Lectures on Corporate Law — Selecting Causes of Action in Corporate Litigation and Litigation Strategies,” concluded successfully.
At the beginning of the course, Attorney Yu reviewed six real-life cases—three types of cases—that he had presented during his six months of teaching; one type isMaster legal principles, be good at...Employing a dual‑pronged litigation approach—both affirmative and defensive—to flexibly steer the course of the case and comprehensively safeguard the lawful rights and interests of the client.; The second category is about aligning with the client’s business objectives, where even a seemingly lost case can still end in success; the third category involves delving deep into the underlying principles on both the offensive and defensive fronts., taking an unconventional approach to achieve a surprising victory.
These three types of cases demonstrate, from multiple perspectives, the diverse litigation strategies employed in commercial disputes, significantly broadening participants’ horizons in addressing corporate conflicts.
By reviewing a series of case studies and adhering to the core principle of always standing on the side of good, Attorney Yu has distilled two core guiding principles for handling corporate litigation cases: first, case preparation must return to the fundamental legal principles and rely on underlying doctrines to construct a litigation strategy that effectively supports one’s arguments; second, when studying corporate law, one must ground oneself in the business ecosystem and adhere to business logic in order to truly appreciate the vitality of corporate law.
After hearing this summary, the participants present felt deeply resonant. Participants noted that these two points precisely highlight the key to handling corporate litigation: in the past, legal reasoning and business considerations were often treated as separate issues. Only after attending the course did they realize that grounding cases in sound legal principles is the foundation for effective courtroom advocacy, while aligning with business logic is essential to understanding the true nature of the dispute.
On-site video
Student Reflections
Reflections of Course Participants in 2026
Reflections of Course Participants in 2025
Reflections of 2024 Course Participants
Attorney Yu Yongbo, focusing on three main threads—case‑type selection, courtroom strategy and tactics, and the core elements of litigation—systematically organizes and meticulously dissects two categories of cases: disputes arising from company formation and disputes over the liabilities of promoters.
At the outset of the course, Attorney Yu succinctly characterized this category of cases as the “most tragic, most disconnected, most chaotic, and poorest” among corporate litigation matters. He precisely delineated the positioning of two types of causes of action within the new legal framework, meticulously clarified the boundaries of application among closely related causes of action, delved into the underlying interests of all parties involved, guided participants in identifying relevant practice areas, accurately pinpointed the clients’ core demands, and established a comprehensive and clear case-handling logic.
The lecture unfolds layer by layer around five key dimensions: distinction of causes of action, disconnect among rules, internal relationships among the founders, third-party right of election, and incorporation agreement. By tracing the evolution of corporate law causes of action and conducting an in-depth analysis of two types of claims that are often easily confused in practice, this session helps participants grasp the fundamental differences between these two categories and their respective practical application scenarios. It also enables them to truly understand that, during the company formation process, the legal relationship among the incorporators is not necessarily a pure partnership; it may also constitute a standard contractual relationship.
The class employs a heuristic teaching approach, guiding participants to systematically unravel and resolve the ambiguities and challenges inherent in two types of cases. By juxtaposing these case categories with the latest judicial precedents, the session highlights the key distinctions between them and vividly illustrates the practical difficulties arising from the disconnect between legal rules and real-world application. Notably, Article 44 of the 2023 Company Law addresses the issue of internal recourse among promoters when a company fails to be established, and Article 13 of the “Judicial Interpretation of the Company Law (Draft for Comments)” further refines the rules governing such internal recourse. Both provisions corroborate the view put forward by Attorney Yu in his 2018 monograph, “Decoding Shareholder Wars,” namely that there is a disconnect between the current provisions of the Company Law and practical application, and that a legislative gap exists regarding internal accountability among shareholders during the incorporation phase when the company is not successfully formed.
His forward-looking analysis of cutting-edge corporate law principles and his solid professional expertise deeply impressed the participants present.
The entire course features a logically structured, step-by-step progression and is packed with practical insights, seamlessly integrating legal theory, statutory application, and courtroom practice. It comprehensively dissects the core challenges and key issues of cases, leaving participants with a clear understanding and substantial takeaways. At the conclusion of Course
, Attorney Yu distilled two core practical guidelines—“Partnership vs. Contract” and “Disclosure vs. Choice”—to help legal professionals stay abreast of the new Company Law’s judicial orientation, hone their courtroom advocacy skills, and comprehensively enhance their ability to handle commercial disputes and manage corporate legal risks.
Instructor: Attorney Yu Yongbo
The venue was packed.
Course Content
Unlike academic and judicial‑oriented courses on corporate disputes, this course adopts a practitioner’s perspective, systematically examining 25 causes of action relevant to corporate litigation and providing practical guidance for handling each 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 specific legal difficulties and conflicting judicial views exist?
What are the underlying logic, legislative intent, and doctrinal foundations of the key challenges in corporate law?
What are the specific impacts of the new Company Law on corporate litigation? What challenges in judicial practice does it address? What new issues will it give rise to?
Course Features
Building upon the eight-year proven seminar format of the Shareholder Litigation Research Association, this work offers a more comprehensive and advanced synthesis.
On-site group discussions between the pro and con sides help participants master opposing viewpoints and respond flexibly to customer needs.
Pioneering the concept of business identification, which helps trainees build a solid foundation and 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 Corporate Law Knowledge and Structure: Quickly Grasp the Underlying Logic
Advanced Litigation Thinking for Commercial Lawyers: Precisely Identifying Key Factors for Success
Sophisticated Strategies for Shareholder Litigation: Confidently Mastering Commercial Court Trials
In-depth Analysis of the Latest Corporate Law: Take the Lead in Seizing Business Opportunities
Suitable for:
Commercial lawyers, corporate legal counsel, as well as major and minor shareholders of companies and directors, supervisors, etc. who are interested in corporate law
Course Schedule
Attorney Yu Yongbo – Biography
Attorney Yu Yongbo is a seasoned lawyer 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 of the Law Society of Hong Kong.
In 2017, I founded the Shareholder Litigation Research Association and have since, for ten years, 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.
Author of “Common Sense Has Fooled You,” “Decoding Shareholder Wars,” and “Judicial Perspectives on Corporate Disputes and Strategies for Litigation.”