Sandy Guo

Graduated from Northwest University of Political Science and Law in 2000 with a Bachelor's degree in Economics.

Graduated from the Law School of Shanghai Maritime University in 2003 with a Master's degree in Law.

Passed the National Judicial Examination in 2002.

Practised at Horizon Law Firm from March 2003 to August 2005.

Practised at Shanghai Rolmax Law Firm from August 2005 to June 2024.

Returned to Horizon Law Firm in July 2024.

Sandy Guo is a senior partner at Horizon Law Firm, an external mentor at Northwest University of Political Science and Law and a visiting professor at Shanghai Maritime University. His practice covers maritime and admiralty law, insurance and reinsurance, banking and finance, corporate M&A, freight logistics and real estate. He has advised Bank of China Singapore Branch, Agricultural Bank of China Singapore Branch, OCBC Bank Shanghai Branch, Hana Bank Shanghai Branch, Ping An Bank Shanghai Branch, Huarui Bank, Kunlun Trust and other financial institutions. He has successfully handled hundreds of major and complex property and liability insurance matters for large and medium-sized insurers and domestic and international P&I clubs, establishing long-term relationships with numerous insurers. In M&A matters, he conducts legal due diligence, issues reports and acquisition opinions, and drafts full transaction documents. His projects include China National Aviation Fuel Group Haitian Shipping's acquisition of a domestic shipping company in Chongqing. Courts at all levels, including the Supreme People's Court, have published a number of his matters as typical cases.

Representative Litigation Matters

1. Long-term reinsurance counsel to a major insurer, including representation in multiple reinsurance contract disputes.
2. Since December 2015, risk-control counsel to a major insurer for litigation property-preservation liability insurance, reviewing more than one thousand matters above branch authority each year and representing the insurer in dozens of property-preservation damages disputes.
3. Represented an insurer in a marine insurance contract dispute with a shipping company claiming RMB 56.93 million plus interest. The award was RMB 8.44 million, an 86% reduction. The matter lasted more than five years through Ningbo Maritime Court, Zhejiang Higher People's Court and the Supreme People's Court and became a landmark domestic coastal cargo general-average case. At the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Mr. Guo presented the case in its Commercial Law Lecture Hall on 2 April 2024.
4. Represented an insurer in a shipbuilding insurance contract dispute in which a shipbuilding company claimed RMB 54.24 million plus interest. The court awarded RMB 3.03 million, a reduction of up to 95%.
5. Represented an insurer in an insurance contract dispute arising from cargo damage during China-Europe Railway Express carriage. The insured claimed more than RMB 37 million. Despite unclear policy wording and communications, Mr. Guo's team exhaustively collected evidence and relied on its insurance-law expertise to obtain a complete victory.
6. Provided end-to-end legal services concerning a warehouse fire involving an insurer and a communications service company, including claims advice, the insurance contract dispute and recovery. The cargo loss exceeded RMB 80 million and the recovery achieved a favourable result.
7. Represented the owner of M/V "Enji 1" in a collision dispute with M/V "Xiang Zhangjiajie 3003" through Xiamen Maritime Court, Fujian Higher People's Court and the Supreme People's Court. Supreme People's Court Civil Retrial No. 453 (2018) was selected as one of its Ten Typical Maritime Trial Cases of 2018.
8. Represented a Shanghai environmental technology company in a construction contract dispute with a listed environmental group. After extensive investigation and evidence collection, and despite unfavourable contract terms and local protectionism, all claims were upheld.
9. Represented the Shanghai branch of a domestic bank in a domestic letter-of-credit negotiation dispute with another bank's Xiangtan branch. Although the defendant raised jurisdictional objections and sought suspension on a criminal-before-civil basis because the underlying contract involved letter-of-credit fraud, comparable precedents persuaded the court that the fraud dispute between applicant and beneficiary and the credit dispute between negotiating and issuing banks were separate in nature, legal relationship and parties, each carrying independent claims and substantive rights. All claims were upheld.
10. Represented a major Shanghai pharmaceutical company in a corporate lending dispute with a Gaoyou pharmaceutical company involving RMB 46 million. Despite serious local protectionism and the conviction of the client's legal representative, the loan was recovered after ten years of work.

Representative Arbitration Matters

1. Represented a Shaoxing knitting, textile, printing and dyeing company in a sales-contract arbitration against a Taiwanese technology company; all claims were upheld.
2. Represented a Zhangjiagang resort company in a construction-contract arbitration against a Nantong landscaping company, achieving a settlement and a 67% reduction.
3. Represented a Shanghai equity investment fund (limited partnership) in an investment and repurchase arbitration against Mr. Wu and others; all claims were upheld.
4. Represented a holding group in a fund-contract arbitration against a Xinyu investment management centre (limited partnership), achieving a reduction of up to 98.5%.
5. Following a foreign vessel's main-engine failure and resulting general average, provided the cargo insurer with end-to-end advice on average adjustment, claims handling and arbitration in the United Kingdom. The preliminary outcome is favourable and the UK arbitration remains in progress.