Two months after former Shanghai head Stefan Peters stepped down, Graf von Westphalen has found its new leader for its only Chinese office. Patrick Heid has recently left Shearman & Sterling, where he was associate, to head up the German firm’s Shanghai office (established in 2008).

Dunja Staddtmann, who took over Peters temporarily, will now be conducting the firm’s China business out of the Munich office.

Heid’s main practice areas include general corporate, M&A and capital markets. He will be joining one other partner, one lawyer and two counsels in the Shanghai office.

Despite the firm’s small headcount, Graf von Westphalen has won mandates with two Chinese SOEs. The firm is long term legal advisor to the Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company (a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China), and Air China, advising both companies on all of their European legal matters. ALB

Related stories:

• Shearman & Sterling takes on Simpson Thacher capital markets counsel (12 August 2010)