THE HONG Kong arm of Reed Smith has advised on one of the largest Asian IPOs this year, winning an instruction from China Zhongwang Holdings on its $1.3bn (£800m) listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Richards Butler, in association with Reed Smith – which had been the Hong Kong arm of the UK’s Richards […]
As a country with few natural resources, China has always had to look abroad for investment. Margaret Taylor reports on the Sino-African special relationship Cash-rich China’s interest in resource-rich Africa has grown enormously over the past 20 years, with Chinese companies investing in everything from mining to infrastructure projects. In recent years China’s focus has […]
When Lovells forged an alliance with Chinese firms based outside the major centres of Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai it created something rather different. Almost a year on its members are bullish about their prospects China’s role as a dominant global economy is undeniably secure. For international law firms faced with the maturity of Western […]
Rigid foreign exchange policies have helped shield China from the worst effects of the US sub-prime crisis. By Han Qimeng and Marianne Ramel
The China legal services market has entered an important new stage. The China legal services market has entered an important new stage. Twenty years ago there were only a handful of foreign law firms providing China foreign direct investment (FDI) legal services out of Hong Kong. Ten years ago local Chinese law firms based in […]
Lovells has hailed the launch of its 10-way Sino-Global Legal Alliance as the first of its kind in the key Asian jurisdiction. Lovells has hailed the launch of its 10-way Sino-Global Legal Alliance (first reported on www.thelawyer.com, 3 September) as the first of its kind in the key Asian jurisdiction, boasting that it offers an […]
The interest in the mainland China and Hong Kong legal markets continues unabated. Earlier this month (www.thelawyer.com, 12 January) Clifford Chance boosted its mainland corporate China practice by hiring four associates to its Shanghai office, driving forward its ambitious plan to double in size in China within five years to more than 100 lawyers. This […]
It’s hoped that China’s accession into the WTO should prove lucrative for foreign organisations The 2006 year has been branded the ‘Year of the Bank’. Indeed, on the fifth anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Chinese banking sector is expected to undergo a revolutionary transformation. As part of China’s WTO […]
The People’s Republic of China is fast becoming the hottest new jurisdiction for international law firms as the Chinese government looks to open up the local financial and legal markets to foreigners. Clyde & Co and Norton Rose are both moving into Shanghai after securing local licences earlier this month, while Pinsent Masons has revealed […]
Clifford Chance Pünder is losing the co-head of its global China practice following a dispute over the firm’s strategy in Asia Sabine Stricker-Kellerer will leave the firm’s Munich office at the beginning of May, although it is still unclear where she is going.Stricker-Kellerer comes from the Pünder side of the firm and her decision to […]
Local govt places limit on fees; ambiguity concerning foreign firms’ inclusion The Shanghai local government has cast huge uncertainty over global law firms’ China practices by issuing a notice on lawyers’ fees, which sets an upper limit of 3,000 yuan (A$697/£255) per hour.Foreign law firms have not been mentioned explicitly, so it is unclear whether […]
Following a partners meeting in Hong Kong earlier this month, Clifford Chance has decided on a change to its Asian strategy.