Shanghai firm HHP has recently entered into a "long-term entrustment agreement" with Marccus Partners,  a law firm of European origin and a member of Mazars - an international audit, accounting and advisory group.

Under the agreement, the two firms will form a close relationship similar to a strategic alliance. It will allow HHP to use Marccus brand in mainland China exclusively and enable the two firms to work seamlessly with a uniformed interface to the clients.

"Joining forces with Marccus Partners and Mazars group will give HHP a big boost in inbound and outbound business. Our Chinese clients will get access to the strong legal and tax expertise of Marccus Partners in Europe and together we can better tackle the exciting challenges in law and business not only in mainland China but also in other jurisdictions," said Dai Jun, HHP's managing partner.

The new relationship extends the previous working ties between the firms' partners and is rooted in their common interests and values. Between 2000 and 2006, HHP was the China member firm of Haarmann Hemmelrath, which joined forces with Mazars in 2006. The next year, Bernd Sagasser, former partner of Haarmann Hemmelrath, was elected to the managing partner of Marccus.

Sagasser noted that his firm is pleased about the "reunion" of the partners and the strategic component of the agreement is to build a platform to expand into the Asian Pacific region together with HHP and alongside Mazars.

HHP has nine partners and 25 lawyers, and focuses mainly on M&A, real estate and construction, financial services and litigation. Marccus Partners, with 200 lawyers and 320 staff in seven offices across Europe, has a clear transactional focus and specialises in implementing cross-border transactions. Mazars group has presences in 56 countries with 12,500 professionals, including four offices in China and access to the skills of 400 professionals. ALB

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