As the first PRC firm to have opened an office in London, Zhonglun W&D has recently achieved another first by acting on both PRC and English law in an Alternative Investment Market (AIM) listing in London.

A team of lawyers from the firm’s Beijing and London offices, led by senior partner Xue Haibin, have advised Global Lock Safety, a security products manufacturer based in Shenzhen, on its admission to AIM. The team provided streamlined services to Global Lock Safety across the entire transaction, without any western law firm involvement.

Established in 2006, Zhonglun W&D’s London office enables the firm to provide both PRC and English legal advice and services. The office currently has 10 lawyers, all of whom are admitted to practice in England and Wales, and is managed by Xue.

Although a growing number of PRC firms have expanded overseas and set up offices, most of these offices are serving as a support function to the mainland practices. So far, few have managed to acquire strong local law capability and are yet to take up meaningful local advisory roles.

According to Xue, the real strength of a PRC firm’s international expansion lies in its ability to provide quality advice on local law in the foreign jurisdictions where clients are investing and doing business.

"This is a milestone for Zhonglun W&D’s international practice. We are aiming to become a real international law firm by acquiring and strengthening our capability to advise on local law issues in key overseas jurisdictions,” he said. ALB