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How Pinsent Masons’ China expansion bolsters its Australian presence
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons is opening its doors in “China’s Silicon Valley”. The move, the firm says, should be seen in conjunction with its expansion Down Under in recent years.
Jerome Doraisamy
Pinsent Masons has received government approval to open an office in Shenzhen, a city of 18 million located in the south of China that has often been described as “China’s Silicon Valley”. The opening marks the firm’s third mainland office in the world’s second-most populous country.
The office opening comes 41 years after the firm arrived in Hong Kong (1983), which was followed by Shanghai (2002) and Beijing (2006).
Pinsent Masons APAC head and partner James Morgan-Payler said the Shenzhen expansion will be a continuation of the firm’s focus on China-outbound investment and M&A into the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region, while supporting international corporations in their China inbound activities such as foreign direct investments and joint ventures in China.
Kanyi Lui, who is the firm’s head of China, said: “In just four decades, China has transformed into one of the world’s leading players in energy, infrastructure, technology and innovation globally, and these are areas of real focus for Pinsent Masons, especially in Asia-Pacific.”
The Shenzhen office will open later in 2025.
The China expansion follows what has been a period of significant growth for Pinsent Masons Down Under in the last two years.
As reported by Lawyers Weekly, the firm launched a TMT practice in March 2024 with a team from KPMG Law (and then expanded that team with a hire from MinterEllison in August), it launched a WHS practice with a team from Sparke Helmore last February 2024, and has moved to strengthen its senior ranks across the board with partner and special counsel hires in October and January, respectively.
Elsewhere, the firm unveiled a new pilot program in mid-2024 to trial half-day Fridays for its staff, for its northern hemisphere offices. The pilot is currently underway in Australia.
In conversation with Lawyers Weekly, Morgan-Payler explained that the firm’s decision to open a third office in mainland China should be seen in conjunction with the “significant expansion” of its presence in Australia in recent years, given the collaboration between its existing China offices and growing Australian team.
“The decision to open an office in Shenzhen and to have a presence in southern China is primarily based on the opportunities that stem from the new economy businesses that reside in that area, especially in the area of renewable energy, infrastructure, technology and advanced manufacturing,” he said.
“Many of these companies have an interest in investing overseas, including Australia and south-east Asia, while many Australian companies are looking to access the market opportunities available in southern China.”
“We see Australia as continuing to be an attractive place for Chinese entities to invest and will provide opportunities for our Australian and Chinese colleagues to work together to assist clients investing into and out of China.”
Andrew Fisken, a Melbourne-based corporate partner whose practice features “work coming out of and into China”, added: “Shenzhen is part of the Greater Bay Area, which also takes in Hong Kong and Macau, and has been an economic growth engine for many years. As such, it is a real focal point for our international clients wanting to invest in that region.”
“Southern China is a hotspot for new companies and technologies.
“A great example of this is in electric vehicles. Many of the leading Chinese EV brands are in and around Shenzhen, and they are investing heavily at the moment in opening new markets internationally.
“I have seen a significant uptick in work coming out of China over the past 12 months, and I expect this to continue.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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