Kirkland & Ellis is set to launch in Shanghai after receiving approval from the Chinese Ministry of Justice.

The Chicago leader will open the new office towards the end of this year – marking its second office in the region following its 2006 Hong Kong launch.

Kirkland plans to integrate the two offices and will relocate Hong Kong private equity partner Xiaoyang Li to lead the Shanghai practice. Corporate partner Chuan Li will also transfer to the new base from Hong Kong.

The firm said that the office, its tenth worldwide, will focus on private equity and corporate transactions and will represent Chinese clients abroad.

Commenting on the launch, Kirkland management committee chair Thomas Yannucci said: "The Shanghai office is a direct response to our clients' growing activity in China. Given the strength of Kirkland's worldwide litigation, intellectual property and restructuring practices, we also see opportunities to serve rapidly globalising Chinese companies."

Xiaoyang Li joined Kirkland last year from Beijing firm Jun He Law Office and prior to that was managing partner of the corporate practice at King & Wood.

Chuan Li joined Kirkland eight years ago in Chicago and relocated to Hong Kong in 2007.

Last year Kirkland launched an Asian private equity practice with the relocation of London partner Justin Dolling and New York partner Albert Cho to Hong Kong.

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