Dr Zinian Zhang

Dr Zinian Zhang is senior lecturer in corporate and financial law at the University of Kent. Before joining Kent in April 2026, he was senior lecturer in commercial law at the University of Glasgow (2022-2026). Between 2016 and 2022, he taught law as lecturer in business law at the University of Leeds. Dr Zhang practised law in the People’s Republic of China from 1999 to 2008.

Dr Zhang earned his PhD in law at the University of Durham (2009-2014), supervised by the late Professor Roman Tomasic. After his PhD studies, he was given a post-doctoral fellowship at Singapore Management University School of Law, Singapore, from 2014 to 2015.

He is now the coordinator of the research group on law and economics at Kent Law School and is also the convenor of the commercial law pathway.

Dr Zhang is a long-term academic member of INSOL International, sitting at its exam board for its Global Insolvency Certificate Programme. 

Dr Zhang is currently investigating the insolvency of financial institutions. And he is on the trilogy research journey in empirically examining the insolvency of three types of financial firms: investment banks, traditional deposit-taking banks and insurance companies.

Publications;

Books

Zinian Zhang, et al, Boyle & Birds’ Company Law (10th edn, LexisNexis 2019)

Zinian Zhang, et al, Employment Entitlements II (2nd edn, INSOL International 2019)

Zinian Zhang, Corporate Reorganisations in China: An Empirical Analysis (Cambridge University Press 2018)

Journal Articles

Zinian Zhang, ‘The Return of Client Money in Investment Bank Special Administrations: An Empirical Assessment’ (2025) 20 Capital Markets Law Journal 1

Zinian Zhang, ‘Establishing an Investment Bank Special Administration Regime to Seek a Speedy Return of Client Money: Is the Mission Achieved?’ (2024) Journal of Business Law 635

Zinian Zhang, ‘The Bar Date over Client Asset Claims in the UK Investment Bank Special Administration Regime’ (2024) 19 Capital Markets Law Journal 392

Zinian Zhang, ‘Deadlines for Proving Debts in Corporate Insolvencies: An Anglo-American Analysis’ (2023) 38 Australian Journal of Corporate Law 399 

Zinian Zhang, ‘Bankruptcy of Financial Institutions: Lessons of Securities Company Insolvencies from China’ (2021) 2 Corporate and Business Law Journal 302

Zinian Zhang, ‘Globalised Cross-Border Insolvencies: the Roles Played by China’ (2021) 22 European Business Organization Law Review 735

Zinian Zhang, ‘Resolving Corporate Insolvencies in China: the Gap between Law and Reality’ (2020) 27 Miami International & Comparative Law Review 371

Zinian Zhang, ‘The Corporate Bankruptcy Substitute in China’ (2020) 33 Columbia Journal of Asian Law 172

Zinian Zhang, ‘Better Investor Protection and More Operational Flexibility: Singapore’s Latest Reforms to Strengthen its REIT Market’ (2017) 38 Company Lawyer 130 (with Jia Wang)

Zinian Zhang, ‘Corporate Reorganisation of China’s Listed Companies: Winners and Losers” 2016 (16) Journal of Corporate Law Studies 101

Zinian Zhang, ‘Corporate Reorganisation Reform in China: Findings from an Empirical Study in Zhejiang’ (2016) 11 Asian Journal of Comparative Law 55 (with Roman Tomasic) 

Zinian Zhang, ‘Enhance Retail Investors’ Access to the Corporate Bond Market: The Latest Development in Singapore’ (2015) 36 Company Lawyer 319

Zinian Zhang, ‘In Search of Debt Restructuring for Distressed Asian Companies in England: A Case Study of Vietnam’s Vinashin’ (2015) 16 Australian Journal of Asian Law 1

Zinian Zhang, ‘From Global Convergence in China’s Enterprise Bankruptcy Law 2006 to Divergence in Implementation: The Case of Corporate Reorganizations in China’ (2012) 12 Journal of Corporate Law Studies 295 (with Roman Tomasic)

Book Chapters

Zinian Zhang, ‘The Political Determinants of Corporate Reorganization in China’ in Christoph Antons (ed), The Routledge Handbook on Asia Law (Routledge 2014) (with Roman Tomasic) 

Zinian Zhang, ‘China’s Enterprise Bankruptcy Law: Implementation of the Corporate Reorganization Provisions’ in John Garrick (ed), Law and Policy for China’s Market Socialism (Routledge 2012) (with Roman Tomasic) 

Book Reviews

Zinian Zhang, ‘Debt Restructuring’ (2023) 32 International Insolvency Review 386 

Zinian Zhang, ‘Corporate Bankruptcy Law in China: Principles, Limitations and Options for Reform Natalie Mrockova Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2021’ (2022) 251 The China Quarterly 951  

Zinian Zhang, ‘Book Review: Reinventing Bankruptcy Law: A History of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act – Virginia Torrie - University of Toronto Press 2020: Driving Forces behind the Development of Law’ (2020) 5 Wolverhampton Law Journal 63

Dr Zhang has taught a wide range of commercial law related modules/courses, including company law, corporate insolvency, corporate governance, international financial law, commercial law, business organisation, and securities law at both UG and PGT levels.

Dr Zhang also has a decade of experience in teaching law for non-law students (MSc in Leeds and Space Engineering students in Glasgow).

He is currently teaching the following modules at Kent:

World Trade Organization Law and Practice (LAWS8470)

Banking Law (LAWS6650)

Banking Law (LAWS9300)

A PGT module of corporate insolvency law is expected to be opened at Kent from the 2026-2027 academic year onwards. 

Dr Zhang has supervised over ten PhD students, most of them having successfully completed and having secured full-time positions in high education institutions either in the UK or abroad, with some entering into the financial industries as economists.

He has examined over thirty PhD theses as either internal or external examiner. 

Dr Zhang welcomes PhD applications on the subjects of company law, corporate insolvency and financial law; in particular any applicant who wants to make a change for a better society will be considered.

Dr Zhang has been appointed as permanent reviewer at the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and is also an external reviewer for the Hong Kong University Grants Committee (UGC).

Dr Zhang regularly advises IMF and World Bank on global insolvency law reform projects; domestically, he collaborates with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) on financial institution insolvency research.