London-headquartered law firm Pinsent Masons has confirmed to ALB that it has received government approval to open its third office in mainland China, which will be located in the southern city of Shenzhen.
This will bring the firm’s total number of offices in China to four, joining its existing locations in Hong Kong (opened in 1983), Shanghai (opened in 2002), and Beijing (opened in 2006).
The new office will be located in Shenzhen’s Qianhai Free Trade Zone. The firm’s current China head, Kanyi Lui, will lead the new office, although the firm is still in the process of determining the exact headcount to support the Shenzhen office.
In a statement, James Morgan-Payler, head of Asia-Pacific at Pinsent Masons, said the new office is part of the firm’s focused growth plan for the Asia Pacific region: "Our new office in Shenzhen reinforces our commitment to the Chinese market and its importance to the global economy.”
"Our China practice will continue to focus on China-outbound investment and M&A into the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. We will also continue to support international corporations in their China inbound activities, such as foreign direct investment and joint ventures in China," Morgan-Payler added.
Currently, seven international law firms have a presence in Shenzhen, with six of them choosing to locate in Qianhai. While Morgan Lewis & Bockius recently announced plans to close its Shenzhen office, offshore law firm Appleby has reportedly received a licence to open in the southern hub,
"Shenzhen is a highly innovative and entrepreneurial city, often described as ‘China’s Silicon Valley.’ The Qianhai Free Trade Zone is positioned to be China’s gateway for the Belt and Road Initiative and a global innovation hub for finance, logistics, technology, and legal services," the Pinsent Masons statement added.
As of the end of 2024, Pinsent had 28 legal professionals in mainland China, including seven partners. According to the firm’s website, it has 21 legal professionals in Hong Kong SAR, including eight partners.
