On August 6, 2026, renowned legal directory Legal Hall of Fame announced its "Key Industries Lawyer of the Year (Emerging Sectors) in 2026", which focuses on selecting veteran senior partners who are still active at the forefront of business and strategic decision-making while also striving to discover those high-performing and fast-growing industry pillars. Han Kun's Wenhao Chen was named as a 2026 Key Industries Lawyer of the Year (Emerging Sectors— Artificial Intelligence) based on his wealth of practical experience and remarkable service achievements.
Mr. Chen has over 15 years of experience in compliance practice, with a focus on data protection, artificial intelligence, and corporate compliance. He advises companies on data compliance matters, serving clients across a wide range of industries, including retail, hospitality, big data, artificial intelligence, advertising and marketing, life sciences, and automotive.
Mr. Chen is actively engaged in cutting-edge data legal services, representing numerous clients in completing or conducting artificial intelligence and algorithm security assessments, as well as personal information protection compliance audits. He also provides outbound data transfer compliance services to a diverse range of Chinese and foreign enterprises, including conducting cross-border data transfer security assessments, assisting clients in signing cross-border data transfer agreements with overseas data recipients, and conducting internal personal information protection impact assessments. Additionally, in cross-border business contexts, Mr. Chen supports many well-known domestic clients with overseas data compliance matters, ensuring their global operations align with both domestic and international data compliance regulatory requirements.
Mr. Chen has been consecutively recognized for multiple years as a recommended lawyer in data protection by authoritative legal media including Chambers Global and Chambers Greater China Region, The Legal 500, and ALB.
Legal Hall of Fame's "Key Industries Lawyer of the Year (Emerging Sectors)" list features a departure from the traditional single-dimension frameworks that prioritize merely case volume or revenue generation. Instead, the list establishes a comprehensive evaluation system that integrates diverse perspectives from legal service clients, providers, and independent third-party research institutions, with client experience at the core, commercial value as the orientation, and sustainable development as the benchmark:
Prioritizing the client experience: Rather than simply competing on case volume, the selection focuses on partners who have earned deep, long-term trust from corporate clients and are genuinely embedded within their clients' commercial environment.
Business insight: The evaluation assesses not only legal expertise but also places greater emphasis on lawyers' communication skills, understanding of industry business logic, ability to anticipate risks, and capacity to propose creative solutions for complex transactions.
Sustainable development capability: Simultaneously evaluate lawyers' business development capabilities and team leadership abilities, excluding those who only excel in short-term projects. Additionally, incorporate analytical dimensions from third-party industry research institutions to ensure the independence and forward-looking nature of the evaluation system, earning genuine market trust through long-term strength.
