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International Edition

Outward bound - can Chinese giant King & Wood join the global aristocracy?

Wang Junfeng does not come across as an empire builder. Chatting in an office strewn with Chinese antiques in Beijing's Guomao skyscraper district, the 48-year-old chairman of Chinese law firm King & Wood sounds modest about where his firm stands relative to the big names from UK and America. "The legal society here really admires the US and UK professions," says Wang. "They have such a long history. And in the last 20 to 30 years, the foreign law firms here have really given a lot of support."
17 minute read

International Edition

Local leaders rank alongside Links, Freshfields and Herbert Smith in Middle East/Asia M&A

South African practice Webber Wentzel and Linklaters have topped the rankings by deal volume and value respectively in the Middle East and Africa after deals increased 6.3% last year. While both deal value and volume are up on 2009 figures, with 302 deals worth $49.4bn (£31bn) in 2010 compared to 284 deals worth $32.2bn (£20bn) the previous year, both fall far short of pre-recession figures, according to the latest Mergermarket statistics.
3 minute read

International Edition

Networking in Chinese - Hogan Lovells' Sino Global Legal Alliance

Ask any expat partner and they'll tell you that, when it comes to business in China, relationships are key. These days, Chinese state-owned corporations are generating an ever-increasing amount of lucrative outbound M&A work. But for foreign firms - restricted by regulation to just two offices in China - establishing relationships with potential clients outside the traditional confines of Beijing and Shanghai is a problem not easily overcome. In 2007 Lovells (now Hogan Lovells) decided to tackle this issue by launching what remains a unique network that links it to leading law firms in nine regional Chinese centres. The Sino Global Legal Alliance (SGLA) gave Hogan Lovells access to other firms (and, perhaps more importantly, clients) in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Tianjin, Wuhan, Shenyang and Chongqing.
4 minute read

International Edition

Fixer-upper - can India keep pace with China in the race to superpower status?

China and India, two of the world's oldest and greatest civilisations, are in the early laps of a long-distance race to catch up to the US as the leading economic superpower. This race is not a zero-sum game - China's growth should increase India's prosperity, and vice versa - but the winner will reap extra rewards. Which of them will be the swiftest? Party-run China can act more quickly than India, and its society seems more orderly. But this may be a faux stability achieved only by suppressing dissident lawyers, ethnic minorities, information, transparency and disruptive innovation. Corruption and crony-ism are endemic in both countries, but may be even worse in China, where there is no free press or political competition to hold it accountable.
8 minute read

International Edition

Slaughters and Freshfields lead on UK-China oil company joint venture

Slaughter and May, Bredin Prat and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have taken lead advisory roles on proposed new joint venture agreements between PetroChina and chemicals producer Ineos. Ineos instructed a team of lawyers from Slaughters and its French best friend firm Bredin Prat to advise on the venture that will see the Chinese energy giant partner with Ineos to trade and refine oil at refineries in Scotland and France.
2 minute read

International Edition

Ropes & Gray recruits Weil Gotshal City partner to lead Hong Kong banking

Weil Gotshal & Manges City finance partner Michael Nicklin is set to leave the firm to join Ropes & Gray in Hong Kong. Nicklin will relocate to the region to take over the role of office banking head at the rival US firm, with current head Alison Bomberg set to move back to Ropes' Boston office later this year. Nicklin has been at Weil since 2000 and made partner at the firm in 2007.
2 minute read

International Edition

Freshfields appoints Asia managing partner

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed Robert Ashworth to the role of Asia managing partner as current regional head Simon Marchant returns to the firm's City practice. Ashworth is set to take up the role on 1 February 2011. He is currently Asia corporate head, a role he has held since 2000, with the title set to disappear altogether from the firm when he starts as managing partner.
2 minute read

International Edition

Holman Fenwick recruits Mayer Brown partner for Hong Kong construction launch

Holman Fenwick Willan has launched a construction practice in Hong Kong with the hire of Mayer Brown JSM partner Nick Longley. Longley joined the firm as a partner on 1 January 2011 alongside Mayer Brown associate Richard Lyons and Vincent Liu, who joins from Minter Ellison.
2 minute read

International Edition

Eversheds brings in ex-Norton Rose China managing partner in Shanghai

Eversheds has hired Norton Rose's former China managing partner to head up its Shanghai office, following the departure of current head Peter Corne. Jean-Marc Deschandol is set to take up the role of Shanghai managing partner effective today (9 December).
2 minute read

International Edition

Norton Rose partner joins Cleary to head up new Hong Kong law practice

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is set to launch a Hong Kong law practice next year with the hire of Norton Rose's China corporate finance head. Freeman Chan will join Cleary to lead the new practice early next year, when the US firm intends to start practising local law. The practice will focus on Hong Kong-listed initial public offerings, capital market transactions, private equity and M&A.
2 minute read

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