On February 2026, the “Riding Momentum, Fusing Horizons – 2025 LegalOne Yangtze River Delta Legal Awards Ceremony” was held in Suzhou. Dr. Leslie Xu, Partner at Chang Tsi & Partners, Director of the Chang Tsi Strategic Research Institute, and Head of the firm’s Shanghai Office, was honored with the 2025 LegalOne Yangtze River Delta Award – Prominent Legal Practitioners in intellectual property, in recognition of his outstanding professional expertise and extensive practical experience in the IP field.

LegalOne Global Limited is an international legal ranking organization headquartered in Hong Kong, known for its evaluation framework that emphasizes practical capability and hands-on experience. As a major annual event for the legal services sector in the Yangtze River Delta, the ceremony brings together awards announcements, trend-focused dialogues, and professional exchanges, creating a forward-looking platform that supports the development of legal talent and the upgrading of regional legal services.

Dr. Leslie Xu has long focused on both the practice and research of intellectual property law. With extensive experience in trademarks, copyright, unfair competition, and complex commercial dispute resolution. He advised multinational corporations, Fortune 500 companies, and leading Chinese innovators on comprehensive IP protection and competitive business strategies. In 2024, Leslie selected for the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice’s Legal Talent Pool, received recognitions from ALB, WIPR, LexisNexis, and CLECSS, and serves as an expert for IP expert databases in the EU and other regions. He has also published multiple academic papers in leading journals such as Intellectual Property and Science, Technology and Law, demonstrating his deep engagement with both cutting-edge IP practice and theoretical development.

In addition, as director of Chang Tsi Strategic Research Institute, Leslie actively promotes research on legislative developments, judicial trends, and industry dynamics in the IP field, with a strong focus on transforming forward-looking research into practical, actionable legal solutions. Serving as the firm’s professional research platform, the Institute supports business development through systematic legal research, industry analysis, and market insight, and regularly produces white papers and in-depth thematic reports to help clients anticipate legal and regulatory change.

The Yangtze River Delta, one of China’s most dynamic and innovative regions, is home to thriving industries such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and new energy, all of which place growing demands on high-quality IP legal services. Based on the region’s industrial strengths, Chang Tsi’s Shanghai office continues to strengthen its capabilities in IP prosecution, dispute resolution, compliance, and commercialization. Through its international service network, the firm delivers legal solutions that integrate global standards with deep local insight, supporting both domestic and international clients. Looking ahead, the firm will continue to deepen its regional presence and leverage its professional teams and research platforms to support innovation-driven growth in an increasingly competitive market.