Recently, People’s Rule of Law Network interviewed Attorney Zhang Qiming, Senior Partner at Beijing King&Capital Law Firm and Director of the King&Capital Financial and Securities Criminal Defense Research Center. The in-depth conversation focused on his professional journey from one of the “Top Ten Prosecutors” to a criminal defense attorney specializing in financial and securities law, resulting in the publication of an exclusive interview titled “A Dual Perspective on Criminal Defense Logic: Deepening Expertise in the Financial and Securities Sector.”
A Decade of Prosecutorial Experience: Sharpening Skills and Strengthening Professional Foundations
Attorney Zhang Qiming’s core competitiveness in the field of financial and securities criminal defense stems from the dual refinement of a solid academic foundation from prestigious universities and over a decade of rich experience on the front lines of the procuratorate. Zhang Qiming studied at Renmin University of China and China University of Political Science and Law. After graduation, he joined the procuratorate system and spent many years working on the front lines of economic, financial, and securities criminal prosecution, handling more than a thousand criminal cases in total. Thanks to his outstanding professional competence, he was named one of the “Top Ten Prosecutors in Beijing.”
Zhang Qiming during his time at the procuratorate
During his more than ten years with the prosecution service, Attorney Zhang Qiming handled a large number of cases involving insider trading, trading on the basis of non-public information, illegal fundraising, embezzlement of funds, and contract fraud. After transitioning to private practice, Attorney Zhang Qiming specialized in financial and securities crimes, applying the case-handling approach he developed as a prosecutor to the field of criminal defense. This has equipped him with professional expertise that bridges both prosecution and defense, providing him with a unique competitive advantage in handling major, complex criminal cases involving finance, securities, and publicly listed companies.
A Dual Perspective from Both Prosecution and Defense, Reshaping the Defense Landscape
As a prosecutor, assessing a case is a fundamental skill—much like a specialist conducting a consultation, where a single glance at medical images reveals the diagnosis, whether the condition is treatable, and the appropriate course of treatment. Since becoming a lawyer, Attorney Zhang Qiming has maintained the habit of first examining cases from a prosecutor’s perspective, considering whether a conviction is possible, distinguishing between different charges, and identifying any weaknesses in the evidence. This approach allows him to form accurate assessments of cases, preventing him from becoming overly focused on exoneration—which could lead to misjudgments, loss of focus, or imbalance in his analysis.
Once a basic assessment is formed, Attorney Zhang Qiming typically selects the strategy most favorable to his client based on the actual circumstances of the case. For example, in a recent insider trading case where he secured an acquittal, Attorney Zhang Qiming quickly identified the crux of the issue after reviewing the case files. Believing the key lay in the analysis of electronic data, he led his team in thoroughly examining hundreds of gigabytes of electronic data. Ultimately, by meticulously sifting through the evidence, they uncovered a decisive transaction record that turned the case around. In another case involving improper disclosure by a listed company, where no breakthrough had been achieved on substantive issues during the early stages, Attorney Zhang Qiming capitalized on procedural loopholes in his defense. Ultimately, before the trial began, he successfully reduced the recommended sentence from 13 years to 7.5 years. The case was later selected as a model case involving listed companies by the Ministry of Public Security. In a recent acquittal in an extortion case, the “malicious” label was successfully removed during the prosecution review stage. Later, during the trial, Attorney Zhang Qiming persistently requested that the victim appear in court multiple times; his request was finally granted on the third attempt. After the victim testified to the facts in court, the course of the case shifted, ultimately resulting in an acquittal.
Attorney Zhang Qiming at work
Only when guided by the correct approach can the goals and plans set be truly feasible, and only then can the organization of defense work proceed with ease. Under this methodological framework, Attorney Zhang Qiming has handled a large number of landmark major cases since the beginning of his career, covering complex and high-profile cases such as insider trading involving nearly 100 million yuan, illegal fundraising on a scale of tens of billions, contract fraud, and major bill fraud. He has successfully achieved outcomes including acquittals, non-prosecution, case dismissals, and significant sentence reductions in many of these cases, with some classic cases selected for inclusion in *Criminal Trial Reference*, the Ministry of Public Security’s typical case collection, and the People’s Court case database.
Beyond traditional criminal defense, Attorney Zhang Qiming has also sought to move beyond the passive model of responding to charges after the fact, establishing a new model for criminal risk prevention and control. The compliance case he handled for a New Third Board-listed energy storage company is highly representative of the industry. After the company faced criminal risks of illegal fundraising due to non-compliant operations by a third-party partner, he led a team to conduct on-site investigations, precisely delineate lines of responsibility, and deconstruct the criminal risks. This helped the company clear itself of criminal suspicion while simultaneously establishing a long-term compliance system to avoid future criminal risks at their source. This provided a new service model for private enterprises to operate in compliance and manage risks; the case was later selected as a benchmark case for commercial crime by Law News Society.
Experience Gained from Thousands of Cases, Refining the Defense System
Defending cases involving financial and securities crimes has its unique challenges. Commercial innovation far outpaces the evolution of the law; the complex transaction models involved require lawyers not only to stay abreast of cutting-edge market developments—demanding expertise in finance, accounting, and technology—but also to simplify complex issues, returning to a legal perspective to assess professional matters.
Having dedicated many years to the field of financial and securities defense, Attorney Zhang Qiming has established a mature and comprehensive defense system. Using core financial and securities offenses as a framework, he integrates judicial rulings and regulatory penalty cases from past years to identify the key points of contention in various cases. This enables him to precisely pinpoint the core issues when handling cases, completely overcoming the limitations of haphazard defense strategies.
At the same time, Zhang Qiming adheres to a three-pronged approach combining practice, research, and teaching. Serving as Director of the King&Capital Research Center for Financial and Securities Criminal Defense, Vice Dean of the Beijing Branch of the Northwest University of Political Science and Law’s Advanced Institute of Criminal Defense, and a lecturer on financial crime practice at Peking University, he leads a team dedicated to in-depth industry research. By tracking key issues in financial and securities crimes and consistently publishing annual reports, he has established a dynamically updated research framework for financial crimes. Furthermore, he enriches university teaching with real-world case studies, continuously refining his specialized defense framework through the mutual growth fostered by teaching and learning.
Attorney Zhang Qiming delivering a lecture in class
Staying True to His Original Aspirations and Upholding the Rule of Law
Attorney Zhang Qiming sharing his case-handling philosophy
Criminal defense is an art of dancing on the edge of a knife; only by staying true to one’s original aspirations can one safeguard a client’s legitimate rights and interests during the protracted back-and-forth of a case. In Attorney Zhang Qiming’s professional philosophy, the role of a defense attorney encompasses not only rational analysis grounded in facts and evidence but also providing humanistic care to every family and individual facing adversity. Criminal punishment deprives not only one’s current personal freedom and property rights but also the future of the individual and their family; therefore, he consistently holds himself to the highest standards, strictly adhering to the professional principles of fulfilling his duties in every case and thoroughly reviewing each one.
When addressing younger colleagues in the profession, he consistently draws inspiration from Confucius’s teachings—“Do not act on conjecture; do not be dogmatic; do not be obstinate; do not be self-centered”—and encourages young lawyers to reject subjective assumptions and stubborn prejudices. He urges them to adhere to an evidence-based approach, make self-reflection a regular practice, diligently hone their professional skills, and remain true to the original aspirations of criminal defense.
The exclusive interview with People’s Rule of Law Network not only represents an authoritative media outlet’s recognition of Attorney Zhang Qiming’s professional expertise but also reflects the influence of the King&Capital Criminal Law Service brand. From one of the “Top Ten Prosecutors” to a criminal defense attorney specializing in finance, Zhang Qiming has dedicated more than two decades to the field of financial and securities criminal law. Rooted in this specialized area, he embodies the professional responsibility and commitment to the rule of law expected of criminal defense attorneys in the new era through his unique dual perspective as both prosecutor and defense counsel, his solid practical skills, his systematic research approach, and his unwavering dedication to the profession.
