Eversheds has secured a licence for its long-planned launch in Beijing, with Kirkland & Ellis also confirming that it intends to move into the Chinese capital.

Eversheds is planning to open for business in China before Christmas, with Kirkland expecting to receive approval for a Beijing base by early 2013. Both offices are set to complement the duo's existing bases in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The firms are also now set to hire senior staff to bolster their existing headcounts in the world's biggest export market.

Eversheds Asia managing partner Nick Seddon, who will initially head up the Beijing practice, said: "We will be looking at the recruitment of senior people who will be able to generate work on the ground. You need to get to about 20 fee earners in Beijing to reach critical mass point."

Meanwhile, Kirkland is in the process of applying for a licence to operate in the Chinese capital, three years after the firm opened in Shanghai. Under Chinese law, international firms can only open one office every three years.

David Eich, founding partner of Kirkland's Hong Kong office, commented: "In Asia we have more than 50 attorneys in Hong Kong and 12 in Shanghai, and that number will continue to grow. The firm plans to open an office in Beijing as soon as we obtain regulatory approval. We expect this to happen late this year or early next year."

Eversheds first announced plans to set up an office in Beijing in 2010. Other firms which have launched in the Chinese capital in recent years include Ince & Co, Bingham McCutchen and Simmons & Simmons. Ashurst has also applied for a licence to practise in Beijing.