CAO, Frank

Mr. Frank Cao received LLB and EMBA from Shanghai Maritime University. He then served in the Insurance & Claims Manager of legal department in P&O Nedlloyd (China) Ltd, in charge of all legal affairs in China. Mr. Cao was a lawyer and partner in a Maritime law firm in Shanghai and is now a lawyer and senior partner of Allbright Law Offices. His working languages are Chinese and English.

Frank Cao is nominated as the postgraduate tutor of Shanghai Maritime University and East China University of Political Science and Law, the consultant for civil and administrative cases of Shanghai People's Procuratorate, the arbitrator of China Maritime Arbitration Commission, the maritime mediator of China Maritime Arbitration Commission, the arbitrator of Taizhou Arbitration Commission, and the arbitrator of Yancheng Arbitration Commission.

Education Background

• Sep. 1992 - Jul. 1996    Bachelor’s Degree in Maritime Law from Shanghai Maritime University
• Sep. 2004 - Jul. 2006    Master’s Degree of EMBA from Shanghai Maritime University

Working Experience

• Jul. 1996 - Feb. 2003    Serves in the Insurance & Claims Manager of legal department in P&O Nedlloyd (China) Ltd, in charge of all legal affairs in China.
• Mar. 2003 - Feb. 2009    Serves as full-time attorney and a partner in a Shanghai Hoying Law Firm.
• Mar. 2009 -Now    Serves as full-time attorney and a senior partner in Allbright Law Offices.

Social Positions

• Deputy Director of Maritime Business Research Committee of Shanghai Bar Association
• External Mentor of Master's Degree Program in Shanghai Maritime University
• External Mentor of Master's Degree Program in East China University of Political Science and Law
• Expert of Shanghai Municipal People's Procuratorate in Civil Administration
• Maritime Mediator of China Maritime Arbitration Commission
• Member of China Maritime Law Association
• Arbitrator of Taizhou Arbitration Commission

Honors

• ■Selected as a “Highly Recommended” maritime lawyer in eastern China in 2020-2025 by the authoritative legal rating agency, Chambers
• ■Selected as the “Leading Partner” of 2025, The Legal 500
• ■Selected as a “Highly Recommended” maritime lawyer in China in 2023-2025 by The Legal 500
• ■Selected as “Top 15 client choose Foreign-Related Lawyer” in 2025 and 2023 by Legalband
• ■Selected as the “Outstanding Deals” of the Year 2024 and 2020 by the China Business Law Journal
• ■Selected as the “Litigation Star” in Commercial disputes area in 2021-2024 by the Benchmark Litigation China
• ■Selected as the “Litigation Star” in Maritime area in 2024 by the Benchmark Litigation China
• ■Selected as a “Recommended” Maritime Lawyer in 2024 by Legalband
• ■Selected as “Top 15 Litigators” of 2020 China by the authoritative legal rating agency Asian Legal Business
• ■Selected as the "Interface Gold List 100" 2020 Best Lawyer by the Shanghai United Media Group
• ■Regarded as a foreign-related legal talent by the Chinese Ministry of Justice and a foreign-related legal talent by the government of Shanghai

Experience & Performance

• Mr. Cao is an excellent litigation lawyer. In Mr. Cao’s numerous and far-reaching cases, Mr. Cao and his team have represented many P&I clubs, famous shipping companies, freight forwarding companies, insurance companies, financial leasing companies, shipyards, dock sides and other shipping institutions with highly reputation domestically and overseas. He has provided legal service including but not limited to carriage of goods by sea, bill of lading, freight forwarding, international multimodal transport, charter party, marine insurance, collision of ships, fire, salvage at sea, towage, wreck removal and restitution at sea, general average, ship building and mending, ship financing, ship transaction, claims of crew personal injury and death, dispute resolution involving port, freight forwarding, international trade, etc. Among which, the most typical clients and cases are as follows:
• ■Acting as external counsel to one of the world’s leading shipping group, Maersk, he successfully won the retrial of the case of releasing cargo without OB/L before PRC Supreme Court, the case was selected as guiding case in 2019, and became the trial basis and judgment standard of relevant disputes.
• ■Acting as external counsel to one of the world's leading shipping group Maersk in China, he has represented the company in numerous cases including those involving container overtime royalties and maritime injunctions in Dalian and Xiamen, two of which were selected by the Supreme Court as one of the top ten typical cases of maritime adjudication in the country in 2021.
• ■Acting as counselor-at-law in China for the leading shipping corporation in the world, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A., Geneva. The case between MSC and Wenzhou Baililand Rubber Tire Co., Ltd, was selected as one of the 2018 top 8 typical cases by Ningbo Maritime Court and Zhejiang High People’s Court.
• ■Handling insurance and claims issues of a collision for a subordinate company of China National Petroleum Corporation at the amount of CNY 500 million yuan.
• ■Providing legal service and non-litigation services for China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited and its affiliated companies.
• ■Providing legal service for Japanese shipping company, “K” LINE.
• ■Representing the National Iranian Oil Company in handling the entire process of subsequent claims and tort-related legal matters following the collision incident between the 'Sanchi' and 'CF Crystal' vessels
• ■Provide legal service to Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard Co. Ltd.
• ■Providing legal service for the cooperation between Xi’an International Inland Port Investment & Development Group and Volvo.
• ■Acting as counselor-at-law for the first domestic international logistics service e-commerce trading platform "YQN" and its affiliated companies, to provide legal services and non-litigation services.
• ■Acting as counselor-at-law for the first sino-foreign joint venture in China, Chinese-Polish Joint Stock Shipping Company, as well as its subsidiary Chinese-Polish Crew Company.
• ■Providing legal services for Chinese-Polish Joint Stock Shipping Company with regard to shipbuilding at amount of CNY 2 billion yuan and to settle the following contract disputes with shipbuilder.
• ■Settling the disputes for Chinese-Polish Joint Stock Shipping Company over financial leasing project on heavy-lift ship (four ships named Changjiang, Huanghe, Taihu, Donghai) with AVIC International Leasing Co., Ltd.
• ■Representing Shanghai Sino-Poland Enterprise Management Development Co., Ltd. in its proposed acquisition of a 10% stake in Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank (valued at CNY 4.595 billion yuan) held by Australia & New Zealand Bank (ANZ).
• ■Providing legal services for China Shipbuilding Industrial Investment Fund, the first ship fund in China, on domestic and overseas ship investment and financing and shipping management.
• ■Providing legal service for CIMC Capital Ltd. with regard to the project of container financial leasing valued CNY 1 billion yuan.
• ■Providing legal service for Yinhai Wanxiang Investment Group to purchase aircraft and cape size ultra-large vessels.
• ■Handling litigation and arbitration representing domestic and abroad P&I clubs for years, which includes China Shipowners Mutual Assurance Association (CPI), Britannia Club, North-Standard Club, UK Club, West England Club, Japan Club, etc.

Professional Articles

• Surcharge compliance in international maritime shipping