总部位于上海的元达律师事务所近日与总部位于芝加哥的McDermott Will & Emery律师事务所结束了长达13年的合作关系。随着该合作结束，另一家来自芝加哥的律所：温斯顿律师事务所宣布其将与元达结成新的战略联盟。
伴随着此项决定，MWE也结束了在整个亚洲地区的实体运营：去年8月，MWE关闭了其首尔办公室。目前MWE网站的办公地点列表中已不再包括亚洲地区办公室。
MWE的发言人向ALB确认了这一消息，该所同时表示：“我们将继续通过在亚洲强有力的合作关系网，支持客户在这一地区的战略商业目标。”
MWE和元达于2007年结为战略伙伴，当时，这是中国大陆律所首次与西方律所进行重大联盟。他们的合伙采用了一种全新架构，使双方在海外不设实体机构，依旧可利用彼此资源较为经济地服务客户在海外的需求。这一架构在市场上颇受推崇，之后有几家中外律所也采用了类似架构。
随着二者关系宣告结束，一段新的关系也由此展开：美国温斯顿律师事务所近日宣布将与元达结成新的战略联盟关系。
新联盟将命名为“元达温斯顿”，未来将在知识产权、国际争端、诉讼和仲裁等领域，为中国企业和在华开展业务的跨国公司提供服务，并扩展在金融、并购和私募股权等领域的机会。
谈及新联盟的背景，温斯顿主席Tom Fitzgerald说：“元达是中国首屈一指的律所……我们很高兴能和一家与我们在协作和团队精神层面奉行相同的核心价值的律所合作。”
元达管理合伙人黄仲兰则表示：“对于在全球市场寻找机会的中国企业，温斯顿在知识产权、国际贸易、并购和诉讼领域的核心优势将为这些客户带来直接的价值，尤其是在受新美中贸易协定影响而不断变化的监管环境下。”
根据温斯顿的一份新闻稿，该联盟目前有47位律师，其领导层包括温斯顿主席Tom Fitzgerald、副主席Michael Elkin、元达创始人黄仲兰和钱奕律师，以及龚雅玲、刘晨光律师。
“与元达律师事务所的战略联盟符合温斯顿为在中国的客户不断拓展优质服务的长期战略。” Fitzgerald说。在大中华地区，目前温斯顿在上海、香港设有办公室，其于2017年关闭了北京、台北办公室。
Yuanda ends 13-year relationship with MWE, forms new alliance with Winston
Shanghai-based Yuanda China Law Firm has ended its 13-year relationship with Chicago-headquartered McDermott Will & Emery (MWE), and entered into a new alliance with Winston & Strawn, also a Chicago firm.
The announcement means that MWE no longer has a physical presence in Asia, as it closed its Seoul office in 2019. The firm has taken down its Asia office location list from its website.
A MWE spokesperson confirmed the news to ALB, adding that “we will continue to support our clients’ strategic business objectives in the region through our strong partner network in Asia.”
Set up in 2007, the MWE-Yuanda alliance is a well-known story in China’s legal market. It was the first official alliance between a PRC firm and a Western firm, and adopted a brand new economic cooperation structure that allowed both firms to utilize each other’s resources without setting up a physical presence in overseas markets. The structure was later followed by a number of other international-PRC alliance. During this period, Yuanda was branded as MWE China.
Following the end of that relationship, Yuanda has started a new chapter as YuandaWinston.
The new alliance with Winston & Strawn aims to serve Chinese entities and global companies doing business in China on matters of intellectual property, international disputes, litigation and arbitration. It will also seek opportunities in the areas of finance, M&A and private equity.
Talking about this new alliance, Tom Fitzgerald, chairman of Winston & Strawn, said in a press release: “Yuanda is well known as a premier firm in China… We are delighted to work with a firm that shares our core values of collaboration and teamwork.”
“Winston’s reputation as a trial firm and its core strengths in IP, international trade, merger and acquisition, and litigation will provide immediate value to our clients in mainland China, as they seek opportunities in global markets and react to a changing regulatory environment - particularly as we continue to see the impact of the new U.S.- China Trade Agreement,” added John Huang, managing partner of Yuanda.
The YuandaWinston team is now comprised of 47 lawyers and led by Winston’s chairman Tom Fitzgerald, vice chairman Michael Elkin, Yuanda co-founders Huang and Kevin Qian, and partners Michelle Gon and Leon Liu.
“This strategic alliance with Yuanda China Law is consistent with Winston’s long-term strategy to expand our services to clients in mainland China,” said Fitzgerald.
In the Greater China region, Winston now has offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong. It closed its Beijing and Taipei offices back in 2017.
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