Clients can now find a brand new Zhong Lun office in Hutchison House in Hong Kong's Central district, the same building that King & Wood and Baker & McKenzie have as their Hong Kong address.

Three years after King & Wood and Jun He opened their Hong Kong offices, Zhong Lun, another top-tier player in the mainland, has finally planted its flag in Hong Kong. The new Hong Kong office is the firm's seventh location, and operates in association with local Hong Kong firm Roger Ho & Co.

"We started planning to open an office in Hong Kong two years ago. We took the time to search for the most fitting associate Hong Kong firm, because it is a determining factor to our Hong Kong office's success and ability to offer quality services," said Zhang Xuebing, Zhong Lun's managing partner who also serves as the president of the Beijing Lawyers Association.

Roger Ho & Co is a relatively new member in the market, but its founder and managing partner Roger Ho is a veteran corporate finance and capital markets lawyer who previously practised at Jones Day and White & Case, and has served as legal counsel in China International Capital Corporation in Hong Kong.

Ho will oversee Zhong Lun's new Hong Kong operation, where six lawyers are currently stationed. Among them is partner Jiang Xiansheng, a foreign lawyer registered with the Law Society of Hong Kong.

Zhang notes that Zhong Lun will follow in the footsteps of King & Wood and Jun He by merging with its Hong Kong association firm after the required three-year period to offer clients dual law capability (Hong Kong/PRC law).

"The trend is obvious that mainland companies are coming to Hong Kong to raise capital or to set up a base for overseas expansion on an even greater scale. The needs for a firm to be able to offer both PRC and Hong Kong legal advice are enormous and far from being covered. I expect more PRC firms will follow suit to service this emerging segment," said Zhang. He is confident that by riding this trend the Hong Kong office will be one of Zhong Lun's fastest growing branches.

According to the2009 ALB China 20, Zhong Lun is the eighth largest firm by headcount in China. It now has over 100 partners and nearly 500 staff firm-wide. The firm has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Tokyo. Its arrival in Hong Kong has pushed the total number of PRC firms with offices in Hong Kong to 11.

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