As the pan-Pearl River Delta region rises to the fore in the global economy, many firms in the region are forming new strategies. One of the most notable among them is Shenzhen firm SD & Partners: in addition to appointing two new partners recently, the firm has also revealed plans to set up a national legal group encompassing local firms in all of the country's important economic centres.

The firm has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with five leading firms in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and other cities, taking the first step towards its goal. "Shenzhen's legal market is developing so fast that a firm has to constantly change for the better or it will vanish," said Yu Junfu. "Although the short-term outlook is still challenging for Shenzhen firms because of the GFC impact and the increasingly competitive market, we are very positive about the long-term prospects of the local legal industry."

The new partners hired by the firm to help win more real estate and corporate business are
Li Zhengmin and Li Jingchao. Li Zhengmin joined the firm from Shenzhen firm Sincere Partners, where he was a senior partner. He specialises in real estate matters and litigation, particularly administrative litigation and administrative reconsideration. Li Jingchao was promoted to partner two years after he joined SD from Guangdong Guoyang in 2008. He focuses on corporate matters, including restructuring, M&A and transactions such as IPOs and securities offerings.

Yu was appointed by the Shenzhen Lawyers Association to lead a study on the profession's development planning up to 2020. The study predicts that Shenzhen will have over 30,000 lawyers by then, with client demand and growth expected to soar for IP, finance and securities, and practice areas related to shipping and logistic sectors.

Shenzhen's legal market is regarded as being in the top four in China, after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. At the end of February 2010, Shenzhen had 5,600 lawyers and 325 firms. ALB

PRD’s big plans for 2020

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has set its grand blueprint for the development of the greater Pearl River Delta region, including Hong Kong and Macau.

Ambitious goals include:

* Developing ten PRD-based multinationals with annual sales of US$20bn
* Establishing two to three mega-size auto makers with output worth more than RMB¥100bn each
* Constructing a 29 kilometre bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta, 3,000 kilometres of highways in the region by 2012, and rail expansion of over 1,000 kilometres by 2012 and 2,200 kilometres by 2020
* Increasing the share of high-end manufacturing in industrial output to 50%

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