Beijing-headquartered Grandall Law Firm and Malaysian law firm Richard Wee Chambers (RWC) have entered into a collaboration agreement.

Following the signing of the agreement, the Chinese-language trade name of the Malaysian firm will change to "国浩律师（马来西亚）事务所" but retain its English name as "Richard Wee Chambers - A Member of Grandall Law Firm,” said a statement from the PRC outfit.

This marks 36th branch globally for Grandall, which was founded in 1998. The Malaysian team now has 12 senior lawyers focusing on areas such as technology, telecommunications, new energy, green projects, semiconductors, logistics and property management.

RWC was founded in 2019 in Kuala Lumpur by Richard Wee. It is known for expertise in sports and esports, technology, environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, labour, real estate, and e-commerce law.

And earlier this year, corporate lawyer and Grandall partner Will Fung joined RWC as a principal partner after being among the first batch of foreign legal counsels registered with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice.

Fung, who joined Grandall's Beijing office in 2007, has practiced as an international counsel assisting clients globally, primarily in corporate mergers and acquisitions, the statement said. His previous employers include Malaysia’s Shook Lin & Bok and Arthur Wang Lian & Partners.

Another RWC partner, Kee Shao Yee, is also a foreign counsel at Grandall. She had earlier worked at ZICOLaw.

"The collaboration brings together the expertise and resources of both sides and marks another solid step in the firm's international development," Grandall said.