McKenna Long & Aldridge (MLA) is applying for a licence to open in Shanghai as it looks to join the raft of international law firms doing business in China.

The US outfit said in a statement it was in the process of applying to the authorities for a licence, but gave no details as to the status of the application or when it expected to open.

Shanghai will be the firm's first office in China and its second in Asia after Korea, which it launched in March with corporate partner Andrew Park leading.

The firm said it already had a significant China-focused team based outside of China including eight Mandarin speakers, and that it currently advised a number of Chinese companies operating in the US capital markets.

With the help of the Bay Area Council – a San Francisco based public policy organization which has deep roots in China  - MLA has also been able to secure an office location in the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in Shanghai's Yangpu district – home to 14 major universities and colleges.

"The planned opening of our Shanghai office is a result of continued client demand," said the head of the firm's China-US transactional practice Tom Wardell. 

"There is a clear increase in transactional activity involving Chinese-based companies."

The firm's chairman, Jeff Haidet added: "The planned opening of our Shanghai office is another step in strategically expanding the services we provide and the value we add to clients and their businesses.

"We have a significant number of Chinese clients and we hope to leverage our presence in Shanghai to their benefit and to the benefit of other Chinese and US companies seeking access to both markets."

China has attracted a wave of international law firms in the last decade as a surge of inbound and outbound investment has created opportunities for international and local advisors.

In the early years, the strategy was typically to target Shanghai for work and with a focus on inbound investment deals, though in recent years the majority of new market entrants have looked to the capital Beijing and for deals involving Chinese companies buying assets abroad.

Last month, energy specialists in the region Vinson & Elkins said they would close their Shanghai office in a bid to concentrate their efforts on Beijing, since this was where most of their clients were located.

Once open, MLA's Shanghai office will expand the firm's geographic reach to 16 offices in 14 markets.

Related: Vinson & Elkins to shut Shanghai office