Two senior China-based Mallesons Stephen Jaques partners have defected to international firm DLA Piper ahead of suspected merger between Mallesons and Chinese firm King & Wood.

John Shi and Nicolas Groffman will be joining DLA’s Beijing office in the near future as partners in the Greater China team. Shi has been the Beijing chief representative for Mallesons since 2004.  He has also previously worked at Denton Wilde Sapte as the firm's Beijing chief representative. He is a leading corporate practitioner in the region with more than 20 years' experience whose practice encompasses virtually every aspect of corporate advisory as well as regulatory matters. "DLA Piper has demonstrated a strong commitment to growing its Greater China practice," said Shi. "The firm has established a credible reputation and profile in the region and a truly global offering which covers Asia Pacific, Europe, the U.S., the Middle East and Africa. I am pleased to be joining their outstanding team at a very exciting time for the firm as a whole and for my practice personally."

Groffman also joins DLA Piper from Mallesons’ Beijing office, where he was a partner in the M&A group. He is recognised as a leading technology, media and telecommunications lawyer in China. “DLA Piper has the ideal platform to develop a full-service China practice.  It is one of the few firms that can now combine international levels of quality and probity together with all the know-how of China’s top domestic lawyers,” said Groffman.

Having worked in China for more than 10 years, Groffman is experienced in dispute resolution and financing and has a focus on China foreign direct investment, corporate and commercial and corporate regulatory compliance.

The new partners will work closely with Shanghai, Hong Kong and other DLA Piper offices across the region to strengthen and deepen the firm's corporate offering in Asia Pacific.