CNLawBlog Explained: What It Is, Who Runs It, and Why It Keeps Showing Up in Your Search Results

If you typed “CNLawBlog” into Google, you’re probably trying to answer one of a handful of very specific questions: is this a real thing, is it safe to trust, who’s behind it, and does it cost anything. This article answers all of them directly, with the facts checked against the firm that actually runs it.

Key Takeaways • Free to read: CNLawBlog has no paywall or subscription fee. • Real attorneys write it: Content comes from licensed lawyers at Harris Sliwoski LLP, not freelance writers. • One official domain: harris-sliwoski.com is the only legitimate source. Other sites using the name are copies. • Not a substitute for legal advice: It’s educational content, not a personalized legal opinion for your situation. • Best for: business owners, in-house counsel, compliance teams, and law students researching China-related law. • Trending because of: a wave of copycat sites borrowing the CNLawBlog name to look credible.

What Is CNLawBlog?

CNLawBlog is short for China Law Blog. It’s a legal publication run by Harris Sliwoski LLP, an international law firm that operated under the name Harris Bricken before its rebrand. The blog was started by attorney Dan Harris and has been publishing commentary on Chinese and cross-border business law for close to two decades, which puts it among the longest-running law firm blogs still active online.

The content isn’t produced by freelance bloggers or content farms. It’s written by practicing attorneys at the firm who handle China-related matters day to day: contract disputes, manufacturing deals, IP theft, and regulatory filings. That’s the reason the blog built a real following among business owners, in-house counsel, and compliance teams who need China-specific legal context that generic legal sites don’t provide.

The one official home for this content is harris-sliwoski.com. There is no second official CNLawBlog domain. If you found the name somewhere else, that matters a lot for what you do next, and we cover exactly how to check it below.

Who Owns and Runs CNLawBlog?

CNLawBlog is owned and published by Harris Sliwoski LLP, a law firm with attorneys focused on international business transactions. It was founded by Dan Harris, whose legal career has centered specifically on U.S.-China business law since the early 2000s. Today, multiple attorneys at the firm contribute posts, and articles are published under named authors with bar credentials, not an anonymous “staff” byline. That’s a basic transparency marker a lot of copycat legal content sites skip.

Is CNLawBlog a Law Firm?

No, not directly. CNLawBlog is a blog. Harris Sliwoski LLP is the law firm that publishes it. You can’t “hire” CNLawBlog the way you’d hire a law firm, but you can contact Harris Sliwoski LLP through their official site if you need representation. Reading the blog does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing on it is written for your specific facts.

Is CNLawBlog Free?

Yes. There’s no paywall, subscription, or login required to read the articles on harris-sliwoski.com. The firm publishes it as a marketing and public-education tool, which is standard practice for law firms trying to build credibility and visibility in a specialized practice area. If a site asks you to pay, register, or hand over personal information just to read a “CNLawBlog” article, that’s a red flag, not a normal part of the experience.

Why Is CNLawBlog Trending Now?

CNLawBlog isn’t new, but search interest in the name has spiked recently for a less flattering reason: copycat sites. A number of unrelated websites have started publishing content under the CNLawBlog name, some republishing lightly edited versions of the firm’s original posts, others just borrowing the name and branding to look credible.

This pattern isn’t unique to CNLawBlog. Domain impersonation and mirror-site scams are a well-documented category of online fraud. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance’s 2025 global research put total scam losses worldwide at over $442 billion for the year, and impersonation of trusted brands and publications is one of the most common tactics behind that figure. A recognizable, trusted name like CNLawBlog is exactly the kind of target that pattern predicts.

So when people search “what is CNLawBlog” or “why is CNLawBlog trending,” a good number of them have already landed on a copy, not the original, and something about the site felt off enough to make them double-check. That instinct is correct. Trust it.

How to Tell the Real CNLawBlog From a Copy

Run through this checklist before you treat anything on a CNLawBlog page as fact:

• Domain: Check the URL bar directly. The real domain is harris-sliwoski.com. Nothing else is official, no matter how close the name looks.
• Byline: Real CNLawBlog content is signed by named, licensed lawyers with bios and bar credentials, not “admin” or a generic staff account.
• Firm details: Harris Sliwoski LLP has verifiable offices, attorney profiles, and a professional track record you can check independently through state bar records.
• Padlock icon: A free SSL certificate proves the connection is encrypted, not that the site is legitimate. Scam sites use HTTPS too.
• Direct navigation: Type the address yourself instead of clicking a link from an email, ad, or social post. That single habit blocks most typosquatting attempts.

None of this is paranoia. When the topic is Chinese foreign investment rules, IP enforcement, or contract terms that determine whether your company can collect money it’s owed, acting on outdated or altered information isn’t a small mistake. It’s the kind of error that shows up later as a denied claim, an unenforceable contract, or a compliance penalty.

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What CNLawBlog Actually Covers

CNLawBlog’s core subject is cross-border business law involving China, not general American criminal law. If you searched “criminal law CNLawBlog,” it’s worth clarifying that upfront: the blog occasionally touches on legal exposure that carries criminal risk, such as export control violations, sanctions breaches, and customs fraud, but it is not a criminal defense resource. Its main lane is commercial and regulatory law. The recurring topics are:

• Foreign investment in China, including how capital moves in and out under current rules
• Intellectual property protection, especially trademark squatting and IP theft in Chinese markets
• Cross-border contract drafting, including NNN agreements, a China-specific alternative to standard NDAs
• International dispute resolution, covering arbitration, litigation strategy, and enforcing foreign judgments in China
• Regulatory compliance, including supply chain security rules and sanctions exposure for companies working with Chinese partners

Dispute Resolution: Where CNLawBlog Adds the Most Practical Value

Dispute resolution is where the blog is genuinely useful for readers with money on the line. China doesn’t automatically enforce foreign court judgments the way many people assume, and contracts written for a Western legal system often don’t hold up the way the parties expected once a dispute actually lands in a Chinese court or arbitration panel. CNLawBlog’s coverage of arbitration clauses, judgment enforcement, and settlement strategy reflects real cases the firm’s attorneys have worked, not textbook theory. That distinction matters if you’re trying to structure a contract before signing it, not after a dispute has already started.

CNLawBlog Compared to Other Legal Information Sources

One reason CNLawBlog keeps coming up in searches is that people are trying to figure out where it fits compared to other places you’d normally look for legal information. Here’s the honest comparison:

Source	Who Writes It	Cost	Gives Personalized Advice?	Best For
CNLawBlog (harris-sliwoski.com)	Licensed attorneys at Harris Sliwoski LLP	Free	No — general information only	Business owners, compliance teams, and researchers who need China-specific legal context
Copycat / mirror sites	Unknown or anonymous	Free (but risk of scams or data harvesting)	No, and often outdated or altered	No one — avoid these entirely
Other law firm blogs	Varies by firm; often licensed attorneys	Free	No — usually marketing content	General awareness, but check the firm’s specialty matches your issue
Government legal portals (e.g., MOFCOM, USTR)	Government agencies	Free	No — official rules, not case-specific guidance	Confirming current law, tariffs, or filing requirements
A licensed attorney (direct consultation)	The attorney you hire	Paid	Yes — tailored to your facts	Actual decisions: contracts, disputes, compliance filings

Is CNLawBlog Reliable?

For general awareness, yes, with the caveat that applies to every legal blog: it’s information, not personalized advice. The original site has a two-decade publishing history, named legal authors, and a real firm you can independently verify through state bar records. That’s a higher credibility bar than most legal content sites clear.

What it can’t do is evaluate your specific contract, your specific dispute, or your specific regulatory exposure. Two companies can face what looks like the same China compliance issue and get completely different outcomes because of details a general article can’t account for, like which province they’re operating in, how their contract is worded, or what evidence exists. Use the blog to understand the landscape. Use a licensed attorney to act on it.

Can Businesses Rely on CNLawBlog?

Businesses can rely on it for background research, spotting issues early, and understanding what questions to ask before entering a Chinese market or signing a cross-border contract. Businesses should not rely on it as the final word before making a decision that involves real financial or legal exposure. Use it the way you’d use a well-written explainer from any credible professional source: as a starting point, not the finish line.

Should You Use CNLawBlog?

Here’s the honest breakdown, based on who’s actually searching for this.

• You’re a business owner or founder doing anything with Chinese suppliers, manufacturers, or investors: Use it. It’s one of the more reliable general resources for understanding China-specific legal issues before you talk to a lawyer.
• You’re a law student or researcher trying to understand how China business law works in practice: Use it. The case-based writing style makes abstract legal concepts easier to follow than a textbook.
• You’re in compliance or risk management at a company with China exposure: Use it as background, then verify against your compliance team’s own legal counsel and the relevant government agency.
• You’re dealing with a personal criminal charge unrelated to international business: Look elsewhere. CNLawBlog isn’t the right resource; a criminal defense attorney licensed in your jurisdiction is.
• You landed on a site with the CNLawBlog name that has no named author, no firm details, and asks for payment or personal information: Don’t act on it. Go find harris-sliwoski.com directly, or contact a licensed attorney.

How to Use CNLawBlog Safely

1. Confirm you’re on harris-sliwoski.com before treating anything as current or accurate.
2. Check the publication date. China’s regulatory environment shifts fast, and a post from several years ago may describe rules that no longer apply.
3. Treat it as background reading, not a substitute for legal counsel, especially before signing a contract or entering a dispute.
4. Cross-check anything time-sensitive, like investment caps or sanctions lists, against the relevant government source.
5. If the situation involves real money or legal risk, contact a licensed attorney, whether at Harris Sliwoski LLP or elsewhere, before you act.

Related Topics Worth Understanding

If you’re researching CNLawBlog, these related topics tend to come up in the same search sessions. Quick context on each:

• NNN Agreements: A firm-drafted alternative to a standard NDA used in Chinese contracts, designed to address the fact that non-disclosure and non-compete clauses are harder to enforce in China than in the U.S. CNLawBlog covers this extensively because it’s one of the most common contract mistakes foreign companies make.
• Trademark Squatting in China: A common scheme where a third party registers a foreign company’s trademark in China before the company does, then demands payment to release it. CNLawBlog has covered this issue for years because it remains one of the most frequent IP problems for companies entering the Chinese market.
• Enforcing Foreign Judgments in China: China does not automatically recognize foreign court judgments. Enforcement depends on treaties, reciprocity, and the specific court involved, which is why arbitration clauses are often recommended over litigation in cross-border contracts.
• Harris Sliwoski LLP (formerly Harris Bricken): Harris Sliwoski LLP is the law firm behind CNLawBlog, formerly operating as Harris Bricken. It handles international business law beyond just China-related matters, including work across Latin America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
• Mirror Site Scams: A general category of online fraud where a fake website copies a trusted brand’s name, design, or content to mislead visitors. It’s the exact issue driving current confusion around CNLawBlog’s identity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CNLawBlog legitimate?
Yes, as long as you’re reading it on harris-sliwoski.com. The content is written by named, licensed attorneys at a verifiable law firm. Sites using the CNLawBlog name elsewhere are not affiliated with the original and should not be trusted.

Who owns CNLawBlog?
Harris Sliwoski LLP owns and publishes CNLawBlog. The blog was founded by attorney Dan Harris, whose practice has focused on U.S.-China business law for close to two decades.

Is CNLawBlog a law firm?
Not directly. CNLawBlog is the blog; Harris Sliwoski LLP is the law firm that publishes it. You can read the blog for free, but you’d need to separately contact the firm if you want to hire an attorney.

Is CNLawBlog free?
Yes. There’s no cost, subscription, or login required to read the articles on the official site.

Who should read CNLawBlog?
Business owners and founders working with Chinese suppliers or partners, in-house counsel, compliance teams, law students, and anyone researching how cross-border business law with China actually works in practice.

Is the information on CNLawBlog trustworthy?
The information is written by licensed, practicing attorneys and reflects real case experience, which makes it more credible than most general legal content online. It’s still general information, not advice tailored to your specific facts.

Can I rely on CNLawBlog for a business decision?
You can rely on it to understand the landscape and identify the right questions to ask. You shouldn’t rely on it as the sole basis for a contract, investment, or compliance decision. Pair it with advice from a licensed attorney before you act.

Is there an official CNLawBlog website?
Yes, one: harris-sliwoski.com. Any other site claiming to be CNLawBlog is not official, regardless of how similar the name or design looks.

Does CNLawBlog provide legal advice?
No. It provides general legal information and commentary. Legal advice requires an attorney evaluating your specific facts, which a blog post cannot do.

Does CNLawBlog cover criminal law?
Not as its main focus. It occasionally covers legal risks with criminal exposure, like sanctions or export control violations, but its core subject is commercial and regulatory law for businesses operating in or with China.

Is CNLawBlog useful for law students?
Yes. Its case-based, plain-language explanations of China business law make it a useful supplement to academic material, particularly for students studying international or comparative law.

Bottom Line

CNLawBlog earned its readership through two decades of attorney-written, plain-language coverage of China business law, and it’s free to read. That reputation is now being borrowed by sites that have nothing to do with the original. Before you rely on anything under that name, confirm you’re on harris-sliwoski.com, check who actually wrote it, and treat the content as a starting point for understanding your situation, not a replacement for talking to a licensed attorney about it.

Last Updated on: July 18th 2026

Legal Disclaimer: TThis article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by Harris Sliwoski LLP, CNLawBlog, or any related entity. Reading this content does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Attorneys Magazine, its authors, or any referenced law firm. Laws and regulations, particularly those involving cross-border business with China, change frequently and vary by jurisdiction. Before making any legal, business, or investment decision, consult a licensed attorney qualified in the relevant jurisdiction. Attorneys Magazine makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or current validity of any third-party website referenced in this article.