Stephenson Harwood has opened a Beijing office as part of its strategy to enhance its presence in Greater China. The firm now has nine offices worldwide of which four are in Greater China.

The Beijing office, operational from May 1, offers services on corporate/commercial matters, international arbitration, finance, marine and international trade, and wealth management.

“The aim of the new office is to be geographically closer to clients in the northern part of China, and to support them in their business objectives. Beijing is China's financial and administrative centre, and it is important for a firm such as ours to have a presence on the ground,” said Stephenson Harwood’s Greater China managing partner, Voon Keat Lai, in a statement.

Corporate, maritime and litigation specialist James Zhang has been appointed as one of the two legal directors of the new office. The firm is currently recruiting maritime law, arbitration, and finance lawyers to expand into a multipractice offering in the next couple of years.

Liu Zhen is senior China journalist at ALB. Follow us onTwitter: @ALB_Magazine.

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