总部位于旧金山的美富律师事务所向ALB证实，该所预计于今年秋天北京代表处租约到期后关闭该办公室。
美富成为今年以来第五家做出中国代表处调整的美国律师事务所。
美富告诉ALB，关闭北京代表处的决定将不会影响其中国业务，因为“我们针对中国客户的所有服务，几乎已经由在上海、香港或其他办公室的律师及专业人员承担”。
“从商业运营和客户服务两个角度，我们都认为在香港、上海办公室继续为中国客户提供服务，是最好的决策。”该所表示。
美富北京代表处开设于1998年，是当时为数不多获准在中国执业的美国律师事务所之一。美富在中国主要为客户提供并购、资本市场、私募股权、TMT、数据相关服务。
网站显示，美富北京目前有4位合伙人：管理合伙人孙川、黄克、麦保罗、赵蓉婧。
黄律师将继续从香港办公室提供服务；孙律师、赵律师将在上海办公室提供服务；麦保罗律师则将从新加坡办公室提供服务。
律所同时为北京办公室其他律师、员工提供调任机会，最终去向将于秋天前决定。
MoFo latest U.S. firm to shutter China office, announces Beijing closure
Morrison & Foerster has confirmed to ALB that it plans to close its Beijing representative office when its lease expires this fall. It will become the fifth U.S. law firm in this year alone to scale back in mainland China.
The firm informed ALB that closing the Beijing office will not affect its China business, as "nearly all of our work for clients in China is already being done by lawyers and other professionals based in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and other firm offices."
"We believe the firm is best positioned to service our clients in China from our Hong Kong and Shanghai offices from both a business operations and a client service perspective," the firm stated.
When it established its Beijing office in 1998, MoFo was one of the few U.S. law firms in China at that time. The firm primarily provides services in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, private equity, TMT, and data-related matters in China.
The Beijing office currently has four partners: Sun Chuan (managing partner), Huang Ke, Paul McKenzie, and Zhao Rongjing. Huang will continue to practice from the Hong Kong office, Sun and Zhao will practice from the Shanghai office, and McKenzie will continue to practice from the Singapore office.
The firm is also offering relocation opportunities to other lawyers and staff from the Beijing office, with final decisions to be made before the fall.
So far this year, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Orrick, Perkins Coie, and Winston & Strawn have also announced closures of at least one China office. They followed similar decisions made by Latham & Watkins and Akin Gump last year.
