8 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS CHINA • 亚洲法律杂志-中国版 JULY 2024 Chongqing and Xi’an, with two of them hailing from Xining and Kunming. UNTAPPED POTENTIAL, REGIONAL DISPARITIES What characterizes the legal services industry in West China? Partners from locally rooted firms offer their insights based on first-hand experience. Wang Zhiping, Director of TianTai Law Firm’s Xi’an office, observes that West China’s legal industry has been experiencing steady, healthy growth in recent years. He notes that the industry’s size aligns well with the region’s economic development. “Across the ten provinces and autonomous regions in West China, there are approximately 8,000 law firms. This represents 20 percent of the national total, mirroring the western region’s contribution to national GDP - a reasonable proportion,” Wang explains. In terms of geographical distribution, among the 15 local firms, six, four and three are respectively headquartered in Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi’an, while the remaining two firms are based in Yinchuan and Xining. On the other hand, all the 15 non-local firms have their headquarters in Beijing or Shanghai. Apart from top firms, ALB also pays close attention to outstanding lawyers. Like last year, a total of 25 lawyers have made the list of West China Rising Lawyers. Most of them are based in Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi’an, although there are also three lawyers who work out of Lhasa, Yinchuan and Lanzhou. What is new this year is that ALB has added a list of West China Client Choice where clients were surveyed by online questionnaires on their reviews of lawyers before 15 trusted and recognized top lawyers were selected. These lawyers are mainly based in Chengdu, As we enter the latter half of 2024, ALB once again focuses on the crucial West China market. This region encompasses ten provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities: Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Tibet, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Shaanxi, and Gansu. From a pool of exceptional firms and lawyers, ALB presents its 2024 China Regional Ranking for West China, highlighting top firms, rising lawyers, and client-preferred legal professionals. The ranking features 15 local and 15 non-local firms, with five additional local firms making the list compared to last year. Four new local entrants underscore the continued growth of regional practices, demonstrating their increasing ability to compete with larger, more established firms. Additionally, one nonlocal firm has debuted on the list this year, further diversifying the competitive landscape. COVER STORY 今年4月，“新时代推动西部大开发”被提上国家议事日程，广袤的中国西部地区被寄予新的期待， 法治建设也持续走深走实。ALB连续第三年将目光锁定于此，与业界共同关注法律服务市场的发展走向。 This April, “promoting China Western Development in the new era” was put on the national agenda. New expectations are now placed on the vast western region of China, and rule of law development continues to go deeper and more tangible. ALB has set its sights on this region for the third consecutive year, observing with industry players the development trend of the legal services market there. RANKING BY ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS, TEXT BY VICTOR WU 排名：《亚洲法律杂志》，作者：吴嘉林 WEST CHINA FIRMS, RISING LAWYERS, CLIENT CHOICE 西部地区律所、律师新星、客户首选律师
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