Mayer Brown JSM is ending its formal alliance in Hong Kong with Jingtian & Gongcheng after the PRC firm decided to establish its own local law practice.

The formal alliance, which launched in 2015, will instead be replaced by a “global agreement” under which the two firms plan to work together on joint business development initiatives and cross-border matters for their clients.

In a joint release, the two firms clarified the agreement does not involve a merger or combination, and that they will remain separate partnerships without any economic integration and with separate client engagements.

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