Holman Fenwick Willan has entered into a formal association with Chinese firm Wintell & Co to allow it to offer Chinese law advice.

Wintell & Co is headquartered in Shanghai and has offices in Tianjin, Guangzhou, Ningbo and Zhoushan.

The firm focuses on shipping, insurance and corporate work but also advises clients on banking, trusts, real estate and intellectual property. It has more than 20 partners and over 100 lawyers.

The deal is taking advantage of the Shanghai free trade zone (FTZ) scheme that allows international firms to offer Chinese law advice, either by tying up with a local firm or setting up a practice in the FTZ.

Under the agreement the firms remain separate legal entities but will work together on marketing and business development opportunities.

In a statement, HFW said the association would allow it to combine HFW's international footprint with Wintell's Chinese law expertise.

HFW partner Henry Fung, the firm's Shanghai office head, said: "As the first law firm specialising in international trade to enter an association in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, this is a significant development for HFW's practice in China."

Wintell & Co's senior partner, Mervyn Chen, said clients' "will benefit from the advice and support which a firm with HFW's international expertise and geographical footprint can provide".

He added: "Clients of HFW who are doing business in China will benefit from the local law expertise which Wintell's lawyers can provide."

HFW is following in the footsteps of Baker & McKenzie which became the first international firm to enter a Shanghai FTZ association in April 2015 when it entered into an agreement with FenXun Partners.

Other international firms which have looked at entering a Shanghai FTZ deal include Linklaters, which has codenamed its plans to open in the region Project Trident.

The firm has drawn up a shortlist of 10 Chinese firms, of which it has had more detailed discussions with Shanghai Capital Law & Partners and Shanghai Kai-Rong Law Firm.

In March HFW hired a team of seven lawyers, including two partners, from Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) in Singapore.