First wholly Chinese-owned ABS opens in London
YangTze Law looking to expand internationally with offices in New York and Hong Kong over the next 12 months
June 01, 2015 at 08:01 AM
3 minute read
The first wholly Chinese-owned alternative business structure has opened in London as a legal case management office for Chinese clients looking to invest in the West.
YangTze Law has been launched by Hong Kong and Beijing-based lawyer Steve Ng and Winston Gao, senior partner at Jun Yan Law Firm in Shenzhen.
The firm received approval from the Solicitors Regulation Authority on 23 April and aims to serve companies in mainland China that are looking to invest in the West.
It will operate as part of the YangTzejiang Legal Network, which is made up of more than 40 law firms in China with more than 3,000 lawyers, of which Ng is the secretary general. He is also a partner at Ng & Shum Solicitors in Hong Kong and Beijing.
YangTze will connect PRC law firms in the network with UK-based outfits. It is currently hiring lawyers to act as case managers for work covering the two jurisdictions and hopes to bring lawyers across from China to work in the London base.
The firm is supported by south-western law firm Michelmores, which will be paid by YangTze to provide legal back-office and regulatory services. In addition, Michelmores managing partner Malcolm Dickinson will serve as chief executive officer of the new firm. Michelmores is hoping to receive referrals from China through the office as part of a non-exclusive agreement.
Ng said: "We see our target market as Chinese businesses that have no representation abroad. We are not here to step on anyone's toes but to expand Chinese participation in the UK market. There are an increasing number of Chinese firms looking to invest and do business in or through the UK but for which cultural and legal differences can be a real barrier."
The firm has said that it is looking to expand internationally with offices in New York and Hong Kong over the next 12 months.
The news of YangTze's opening comes as law firms look to capture both inward and outbound investment from China.
This year Dentons announced that it is entering a combination with Chinese firm Dacheng, creating the largest law firm in the world by headcount with 6,500 lawyers.
In April Baker & McKenzie unveiled its joint operation agreement with FenXun Partners, allowing it to provide Chinese law advice to clients for the first time.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Rosenblatt Breaks Away From RBG, Becomes 40-Strong Standalone Firm
Eversheds Sutherland Outgoing Co-CEO to Move to Dubai to Spur Regional Growth
2 minute read
More than Half of South Australian Lawyers Report Suffering Harassment
3 minute read
Trending Stories
- 1Uber Files RICO Suit Against Plaintiff-Side Firms Alleging Fraudulent Injury Claims
- 2The Law Firm Disrupted: Scrutinizing the Elephant More Than the Mouse
- 3Inherent Diminished Value Damages Unavailable to 3rd-Party Claimants, Court Says
- 4Pa. Defense Firm Sued by Client Over Ex-Eagles Player's $43.5M Med Mal Win
- 5Losses Mount at Morris Manning, but Departing Ex-Chair Stays Bullish About His Old Firm's Future
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
