Among the 50 largest firms in Shanghai, ten are the branch offices of Beijing firms. Established in July 2010, Yingke's Shanghai office is a case in point.

At a gala opening ceremony last Saturday, Yingke's Shanghai managing partner Daniel Dong unveiled the new office, which currently has 54 lawyers and 22 administration and supporting staff. More than 70 lawyers have signed agreements to join in the next a few months, giving the firm 130 lawyers including 40 partners in Shanghai after the transition period.

Some of the well-known partners joining Yingke in Shanghai include Ye Hongjun, previously with AllBright (antidumping, IP and international trade), Zhang Xiaoming, previously the Asia-Pacific legal director of a Fortune 500 company, and Xia Da, previously capital markets and private equity lawyer with a European firm.

Yingke's Shanghai office has already set up seven practice groups, and five more practice groups - capital markets, investment, corporate, property development and IP - will be formed in the coming months. ALB