As ML and CHEN, P.C.'s founding and managing attorney, Mingli Chen oversees the entirety of the law firm and ensures that each client is provided with service of the highest quality.
Mr. Chen mainly practices state and federal criminal defense, state and federal civil litigation, immigration litigation and application, “crimigration” (cross disciplines of criminal and immigration laws), intellectual property rights-related litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. Over the years, he has gained extensive experience and mastered skills in various areas of law that he applies to every task he takes on.
Since admission to the New York State Bar in 2005, Mr. Chen has represented clients in myriad cases across many levels of jurisdiction - New York state courts, U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd and the 9th Circuits, U.S. EOIR Immigration Courts, as well as more than 30 other state courts and federal courts on pro hac vice basis.
Being primarily a litigator, Mr. Chen realizes the importance of using creativity and innovation to fight for his clients’ legal rights, because merely working hard isn’t enough. He believes that hard work is only the baseline for the service lawyers owe clients; it is only when diligence is joined by imagination and originality that success can prevail. With this in mind, Mr. Chen never gives up, never gives in, and fights for his clients until the very end.
With self-motivation, discipline, and astute observation, Mr. Chen helped his clients win many lawsuits in a variety of areas. He single-handedly managed a client’s defense work in a federal criminal case involving 46 counts of charges - some of which were conspiracy, criminal copyright infringement, and wire fraud - and successfully reduced the client’s sentence by 97.5%, from 480 years to 12 years. This case, deemed by the U.S. federal government as the first of its kind in the entire U.S. history, was widely covered by major news outlets such as New York Times, Reuters, BBC, CNN, Associated Press, NBC News, Bloomberg News, Chicago Tribune, and World Journal. In another state court case, Mr. Chen got his client acquitted after having jury trial for 11 days. In terms of civil litigation, Mr. Chen has defended clients in federal lawsuits brought by a number of internationally-recognized companies and big corporations. In immigration law, he has won trials and caused his clients’ U.S. permanent residency to be reinstated even when clients were criminally convicted by U.S. district courts.
Before earning his law degree at New York University School of Law, Mr. Chen practiced law in China. He was the second leading attorney at nationally-acclaimed law firm Lehman, Lee & Xu’s headquarters in Beijing, and subsequently became the managing attorney at the firm’s Shanghai branch. While practicing law in China, Mr. Chen by then was possibly among just very few elite Chinese lawyers who ever represented the most Fortune 500 Companies in the world. Due to his highly promising and successful practices, Mr. Chen was invited to provide legal commentary for a number of national Chinese TV stations, including China Central Television Station (“CCTV”), Beijing Television Station (“BTV”), and other prominent channels.
Mr. Chen is an award-winning speaker and has delivered numerous talks of both legal and non-legal nature to audiences comprising of academics, government officials, and Fortune 500 companies. These talks are done both individually and in tandem with other speakers - during one such time, Mr. Chen was invited to give a speech along with the President of the prestigious Peking University.
Mr. Chen published many articles. Two of them are: Doing Business In China - Protecting Your Trademark Assets and Finding Your Way through the Dispute Resolution Maze in China (Both published on May 3, 2004, by International Lawyers Network, which can be found here: http://www.iln.com/bullet_iln_three_two/bulletiln.htm). Mr. Chen is also a main author of the book A Comprehensive Legal Guide for Chinese Immigrants in the United States of America, published by Chinese Christian Herald Crusades.
By valuing strong ethnics, employing self-discipline, and seeking creative distinction, Mr. Chen plays a crucial role in ML and CHEN, P.C. He looks forward to using his extensive legal experience to work with clients from all walks of life on whatever they may seek assistance with.
Yanfei's background in international law makes her experience and expertise essential in serving our clients. Practicing law in New York, London, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai has given her unique perspectives that she utilizes when solving legal issues for clients. Having joined ML and CHEN P.C. in 2013, Yanfei is currently the Office Manager and Head of Immigration in the firm’s Flushing office.
Inspired by Abraham Lincoln as a child, Yanfei has always pursued justice and fairness in her career as a legal professional. She started out as a prosecutor in Beijing, China and proceeded to work as a practicing attorney for more than ten years, earning her way to top executive positions like Senior Attorney and Partner in multiple prestigious firms in Beijing. Instilled with a strong sense of what was right, Yanfei went against her role as prosecutor several times and publicly advocated for the innocence of defendants who were wrongly charged—something that was extremely rare in China at the time. When she worked in Beijing and Shanghai as a practicing attorney, she provided legal services for a variety of people, including criminally charged defendants and big corporations such as French Pierre Cardin, Air China, and Italy FERRERO SPA.
Throughout the years, Yanfei has engaged in a multitude of educational and employment experiences that have brought her from the streets of midtown Manhattan to the sidewalks of London and Hong Kong and given her the diverse trove of legal knowledge and expertise she possesses today. From 2004 to 2005, during her participation in the Lord Chancellor's Training Scheme for Young Chinese Lawyers, Yanfei was mentored by European franchise law guru Mark Abell, who sparked her interest in franchise and license law. Yanfei has also been mentored by well-known trademark and copyright litigator Christopher Morgan, a Queens Council in the Hogarth Chambers, through whom Yanfei learned a great deal about trademark and copyright litigation. During her time at Fordham University School of Law, Yanfei double-majored in Intellectual Property and Technology Law and International Law and Justice. She was one of the first individuals in the International Law and Justice Program to receive a scholarship sponsored by the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice. Towards the end of her studies, she started working for an international non-profit organization, where she was responsible for legal research and case submissions to major organizations such as the United Nations.
Yanfei is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). She has been admitted to all courts in China, the New York State Bar, U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts, and the U.S. EOIR Immigration Court. At ML and CHEN, P.C., Yanfei oversees immigration, contracts, trademark registration application, trusts, wills, estate and special needs protection, company registration, and business and real estate transactions.
Besides being an attorney, Yanfei also has a prolific career of speaking, writing, and philanthropy. She was consistently invited to Princeton University to give lectures and hold classes, and she is one of the major contributors for the book Dream Becomes True (A Comprehensive Legal Guide for Chinese Immigrants In The United States Of America), published by the Chinese Christian Herald Crusades. She also regularly provides bro bono services for community organizations and individuals who cannot afford legal fees.
In her practice at ML and CHEN, P.C., Yanfei soon won the praise of clients and peers alike with her eye for detail, efficiency, professionalism, and pragmatism. She looks forward to using her skills and expertise to help clients any way she can.
William Lou is a graduate of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. As an associate attorney of ML and CHEN, PC, William handles matters for the firm related to immigration, corporations, intellectual property, family law, And various civil and criminal litigation matters. William has been admitted to practice in both New York and New Jersey.
William's prior work experience and coursework focused on litigation and dispute resolution, including an externship with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Alternative Dispute Resolution division. Through his previous experience, William has become knowledgeable in areas such as federal court motion practice and writing, as well as Discovery review and disputes. His interest in law developed as early as high school where his wrestling coach, a full-time practicing lawyer, encouraged him to pursue the profession and lead him to begin an internship at a solo practitioner's firm the summer following William's freshman Year of college.
While at Northwestern Law, William was an active member of the community. He served as the Vice President of Finance for the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association there and was a Founder and Treasurer of their Labor and Employment Law Society.
Before attending law school, William graduated from the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Economics. During his undergraduate studies, William served as Vice President of UB's chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, pre-law fraternity, and was a founding member And delegate to the Professional Inter-Fraternal Council.
In his free time, William enjoys traveling, the outdoors, and the fine pursuit of finding the next great craft beer. William also enjoys volunteering in his free time, especially for mentorship programs including the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association's mentorship program.
Chao Zhao received her Juris Doctor degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2019. She has also received her Master’s Degree in Economic Law and Bachelor’s Degree in Law from China. Chao Zhao passed the Chinese Bar Examination in 2014. In addition to her legal studies in China and the United States, Chao Zhao has also studied European law, environmental protection, and other related laws at the University of Oxford in the summer of 2018. A full decade of legal study has cultivated Chao Zhao’s solid legal knowledge and professional capabilities. As a law clerk at ML and Chen, P.C, Chao Zhao is primarily responsible for working on Estate Planning, Immigration, and Trademark matters.
Before joining ML and Chen, PC, Chao Zhao worked in two immigration law firms in the state of New York and the state of Ohio. During law school, she interned in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division. Before studying in the United States, Chao Zhao interned in the Supreme Court of Shanxi Province, Wuchang District Court, and the Legal Aid Center of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. Her rich internship experiences have trained Chao Zhao's communication skills with clients, whether in China or the United States, Chao Zhao can provide clients with satisfactory service in both Mandarin and English.
Chao Zhao likes traveling, watching movies, reading, and exploring new cuisines.
Wilson Li is an Of Counsel of ML and Chen, P.C. Mr. Li grew up in Hong Kong and his work philosophy is to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God. Mr. Li is admitted to practice law in the State of New York, as well as United States Tax Court. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Li's practice focuses on all aspects of estate planning from the simple to the complex. Mr. Li prepares wills, general and limited powers of attorney, living wills, health care proxies, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, Medicaid trusts, and Supplemental/Special Needs Trusts.
Mr. Li also represents fiduciaries in all aspects of Surrogate’s Court practice and the administration of decedents’ estates. He represents fiduciaries (executors and administrators) and beneficiaries in postmortem estate and income tax planning.
In addition, Mr. Li was a Revenue Agent for the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") and a tax consultant with international accounting firms. His practice also focuses on federal and state tax controversy matters, as well as international tax planning and compliance issues.
Mr. Li received a Bachelor of Science cum laude from California State University, San Bernardino and a Juris Doctor from Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, where he was an associate editor of the Journal of International Business and Law.
Joey Tang started interning at ML and CHEN, PC in the beginning of July, 2016. By the end of her internship, because of her dedication and organization, she was recruited as a secretary for the law firm starting in September, 2016.
Before Joey started her internship, she used to volunteer at Asian-American Coalition of Education.