K&L Gates has decided to close its 21-year-old Beijing office as its new leadership team shuffles the firm’s real estate footprint.
A spokesman at the US -headquartered firm said: “The firm’s new leadership team has recently undertaken a strategic review of our global operations, including our real estate footprint, with the ultimate goals of aligning resources with client demand, strengthening our high-performance culture, and staying efficient.”
The firm will consolidate its Beijing office into the Shanghai branch, which is both led by Max Gu, who specialises in M&A and capital markets.
The firm’s website states there are 14 lawyers, including eight partners, based in Beijing. Half of the partners are simultaneously based in Shanghai, Hong Kong or the US.
“We will retain our full-service capabilities in China, including our robust corporate, regulatory and IP practices, and remain committed to serving Chinese clients and our global clients who have legal needs in China from our Shanghai and Hong Kong offices.”
K&L Gates, co-founded by Bill Gates’ father William Gates, set up its first China branch in Hong Kong in 1996, it expanded to Beijing in 2004 and then to Shanghai four years later. The firm’s Hong Kong branch remains the biggest among the Chinese offices with 33 lawyers, while the Shanghai branch houses 10 lawyers.
The firm’s IP Agency in Beijing is currently still up and running, according to public information. The agency allows lawyers to file and prosecute trademark applications directly with the China National Intellectual Property Administration.
In addition to K&L Gates, Cleary Gottlieb and Wilson Sonsini also announced their withdrawal from Beijing earlier this year, continuing the trend of US law firms scaling back their business operations in mainland China.
Read the related article here:
Flight or fight?
A sluggish market and data regulation concerns are common culprits blamed for a spate of foreign law firms shutting up shop in China, but a few outliers have chosen to sail against the tide and expand their businesses
For more stories, visit law.asia.
