China offers business opportunities for UK law firms of all sizes, not just the magic circle, the Law Society’s head of international told the Gazette this week as a Chancery Lane delegation visits the country on a joint mission with the Bar Council.
Representatives of the two professions are visiting Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou to promote English law and encourage closer cooperation between the countries. The Bar Council contingent will also go to Shenzhen.
London firm Rosenblatt and national firms Mills & Reeve and Hammonds have accompanied the delegation, along with representatives from Zhonglun W&D Law Firm, the first Chinese firm to open in London.
Alison Hook, head of international at the Law Society, said there was scope for small, medium-sized and regional firms to develop practices in China. ‘The sheer size of the Chinese economy means it offers vast business opportunities, not just for big City firms, but for firms of all sizes, and in innumerable practice areas from commercial to property work,’ she said.
Hook added that most foreign law firms that have opened are concentrated in Shanghai and Beijing, but there are more than 10 second-tier cities in China with populations of over 13 million. ‘These rapidly developing industrial hubs are attracting a growing number of foreign companies and potential business for law firms which might not have a presence in China but can see the huge opportunities on offer,’ she said.
The modern legal profession only came into being in China just over 10 years ago, and despite its huge population there are currently only around 130,000 lawyers and 11,000 law firms. Hook said that because the legal profession in China is relatively new, many local firms are small and may want to consider establishing links with small and medium-sized foreign firms.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has warned the Bulgarian government that it could face action in the European Court of Justice if it fails to address concerns that its national rules on the establishment of EU lawyers breach European law. The Law Society has raised concerns over the issue with the Bulgarian authorities during the past year.
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