DUAN Qijun

Dr. Duan Qijun began his legal practice in 1987. He holds a Doctor of Law degree and is a First-Grade Lawyer. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Law School of Hunan University, Vice Supervisor-General of the Changsha Lawyers Association, a Member of the Criminal Professional Committee of the All China Lawyers Association, and Director of the Criminal Law Professional Committee of the Hunan Lawyers Association. He also acts as an Arbitrator for the Shanghai International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, Beihai International Arbitration Court, and Ningbo Arbitration Commission. Dr. Duan was a Visiting Scholar at the Oklahoma City University School of Law in the United States.

His previous roles include Special Supervisor of the Hunan Provincial Supervision Department, Member of the Changsha Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Executive Director of the Hunan Provincial Procuratorial Theory Research (Hunan University) Base. He also serves as a Council Member of the Hunan Law Society, Council Member of the China Criminal Law Society, Vice President of the Hunan Provincial Criminal Law Society, Vice President of the Hunan Provincial Criminal Rule of Law Research Society, Vice President of the Hunan Huaxia Culture of Integrity Research Society, Vice President of the Hunan Legal Education Research Society, and Member of the International Association of Penal Law and its China Branch.

Dr. Duan is an Expert for the Key Case Evaluation Panels of the Hunan Provincial and Changsha Municipal Political and Legal Organs, a Member of the Central Legal Affairs Committee, Director of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Hunan Provincial Committee, and an Expert for the Hunan Provincial and Changsha Municipal Two-Tiered Third-Party Supervision Mechanism for Corporate Compliance Reform in cases involving non-compliance.

Representative Cases：

Non-litigation practice:

Served as the non-litigation agent for the bankruptcy case of a state-owned enterprise;

Represented a Shandong-based group company in the aftermath of its withdrawal from a highway construction project in Hunan (involving compensation of 800 million RMB);

Represented the Hunan Provincial Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China as a creditor (claim exceeding 1 billion RMB) in a bankruptcy liquidation case.

Litigation & Arbitration:

Defended Mr. Zhang in a second-instance appeal against a first-instance conviction for accepting bribes (original sentence: exemption from criminal punishment). Presented a not-guilty defense. The case was remanded to the original court, after which the procuratorate withdrew the charges, resulting in a non-prosecution decision;

Defended the president of a provincial vocational college in a bribery case (amount involved over 600,000 RMB). Successfully secured a lenient sentence (4 years imprisonment) ;

Defended four defendants, including the director of a municipal agriculture bureau, in a case of abuse of power (alleged losses over 2 million RMB). Presented not-guilty pleas. The court, after deliberation by the Judicial Committee, rendered a “compromise” verdict, convicting the defendants but exempting all four from criminal punishment;

Defended the chairman of a Guangzhou technology company accused of bribery of non-state personnel and bid-rigging. Argued for the dismissal of both charges. The procuratorate accepted the defense arguments and issued a non-prosecution decision;

Represented Mr. Huang suspected of crimes of impairing credit card management and selling official documents and certificates. Successfully argued that corporate bank accounts lack the essential “card medium” feature, leading to the dismissal of the credit card impairment charge. Highlighted circumstances of voluntary surrender and argued for “minor circumstances”, resulting in a final sentence of ten months imprisonment, providing a reference for similar cases;

Handled the case of Mr. Quan suspected of illegal absorption of public deposits (involving over 300 million RMB and 1,822 investors). Secured solid evidence for voluntary surrender, argued that funds were used for legitimate business, facilitated nearly 1,000 victim reconciliations, and successfully argued against the procuratorate’s recommendation of 8 years imprisonment, obtaining a sentence of three years imprisonment with a five-year probationary period, balancing legal and social effects;

Defended Mr. Wu suspected of fraud and provoking quarrels (a novel case involving live-streaming gifts). Challenged the charges based on elements of the crime, authenticity of evidence, and industry specifics, arguing the alleged amount was unsubstantiated and the acts did not constitute “soft violence”. Successfully persuaded the procuratorate to issue a non-prosecution decision based on “unclear facts and insufficient evidence”, clarifying criminal boundaries in the live-streaming industry, etc.

Publications：

Published over 60 academic papers in authoritative and core journals including Chinese Legal Science, Law Science, Chinese Criminal Science, and Law Science Magazine

Editor-in-chief of the university textbook Legal Logic (2003 edition) and the new edition Practical Course on Legal Logic (Southern Publishing House, 2001)

Sole author of Research on Doubtful Crimes (Chinese People’s Public Security University Press, 2008), Review of Criminal Case Prosecution, Defense, and Adjudication: The Crime of Larceny (China Procuratorial Press, 2014), and other professional books.

Social Activities：

Member of the Criminal Law Committee of the All China Lawyers Association

Director of the Criminal Law Professional Committee of the Hunan Lawyers Association

Arbitrator of Shanghai International Trade Arbitration Commission

Arbitrator of Beihai Court of International Arbitration

Arbitrator of Ningbo Arbitration Commission

Visiting Scholar of Oklahoma City University Law School

Council Member of China Criminal Law Society

Vice President of Hunan Provincial Criminal Law Society

Vice President of Hunan Provincial Criminal Rule of Law Research Society

Vice President of Hunan Huaxia Culture of Integrity Research Society

Vice President of Hunan Legal Education Research Society

Member of International Association of Penal Law and its China Branch

Expert of the Key Case Evaluation Panels of Hunan Provincial and Changsha Municipal Political and Legal Organs

Member of the Central Legal Affairs Committee

Director of the Legal Affairs Committee of Hunan Provincial Committee

Vice Chairman of Hunan Zhi Gong Lushang Entrepreneurs Service Center 

Expert of Hunan Provincial and Changsha Municipal Two-Tiered Third-Party Supervision Mechanism for Corporate Compliance Reform, etc.

Honors：

Outstanding Member of Hunan Provincial Committee, 2017

National Criminal Law Outstanding Academic Publication Award (1984-2014), Second Prize for Monographs, 2014

Hunan Provincial Higher Education Teaching Achievement Award, First Prize, 2003

Outstanding Achievement Award of the 6th Annual Conference of Hunan Logic Society, 2003

Advanced Individual in Fighting COVID-19 of Hunan Provincial Committee, 2020

Recipient of Hunan University Provincial Teaching Achievement First Prize, University-Level Teaching Achievement Awards, and “Outstanding Teacher” honors

Led the Provincial Lawyers Association Criminal Law Professional Committee to receive the “Outstanding Professional Committee” title, 2020

Outstanding Vice Supervisor-General of Changsha Lawyers Association, 2023

Outstanding Member (Outstanding Participation and Deliberation of State Affairs Worker) of Hunan Provincial Committee, 2023

Lectured course awarded “Professional Course Outstanding Work Award” in provincial lawyer skills competition; Legal Opinion on the Case of Wu XX awarded “Excellent Legal Document Second Prize”

First Prize for Criminal Law Thesis from Hunan Law Society; Third Prize for Thesis from the Provincial United Front Work Department

Advanced Work Individual of Hunan Provincial Criminal Rule of Law Research Society, 2024

DHH Group Annual Dedication Award, 2024