Personal bio
(Walter) Fayun CHEN is a Senior Counsel and Partner at Grandall Law Firm (Nanjing) and an Adjunct Professor at the East China University of Political Science and Law. A distinguished practitioner, he is recognized as one of the few leading international commercial dispute resolution experts in China capable of conducting proceedings effectively in both English and Chinese.
Mr. Chen has served as an arbitrator for over 26 years, having received his first appointment in 2000. He is listed on the Panel of Arbitrators for more than 30 institutions globally, including SIAC, HKIAC, KCAB, CIETAC, BIAC, and SCIA. Throughout his career, he has sat as Sole Arbitrator, Party-Appointed Arbitrator, and Presiding Arbitrator in approximately 200 commercial cases under the auspices of CIETAC, CMAC, SIAC, HKIAC, LCIA, BIAC, and SCIA. He possesses extensive experience applying a wide range of institutional rules, including those of UNCITRAL, SIAC, HKIAC, LCIA, CIETAC, BIAC, and SCIA.
With over 30 years of experience, Mr. Chen advises domestic and international clients on complex contentious and transactional matters. He has a proven track record of representing clients in high-profile commercial cases—including multi-billion dollar disputes—before courts in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the United States. As arbitration counsel, he has handled both ad hoc proceedings and institutional cases under LMAA, SIAC, HKIAC, CIETAC, and ICC rules etc. His practice encompasses cross-border investment, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, shareholder disputes, international trade, guarantee and swap transactions, construction and infrastructure projects, and sale and purchase agreements.
Mr. Chen holds a Master of International Business Law (LL.M.) from the University of Liverpool. He was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Maryland and undertook advanced legal studies at the University of Hamburg. Earlier in his academic career, he earned an LL.B. from Fudan University and a B.A. from Anhui Normal University.
He serves on the Steering Committee of the Western Returned Scholars Association (China), the Arbitration and Mediation Committee of the All China Lawyers Association, and the ICC China Arbitration Committee. Additionally, he is an Expert Member of the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Nanjing International Commercial Court.
Mr. Chen is consistently recognized for his expertise in the field:
Most in Demand Arbitrators: Mainland China-Seated Arbitrations, Chambers and Partners Greater China Region Guide (2026)
Key Lawyer, The Legal 500 (2026)
International Arbitration Expert of the Year in China, Corporate INTL Magazine (2025)
Best Arbitration Lawyer of the Year, Lawyer Monthly (2024)