近日，总部位于北京的德恒律师事务所正式落子首尔，成为该所全球范围内第51家分支机构。

德恒首尔办公室将由合伙人祝翠瑛律师负责领导，她的执业领域为韩国投资、涉韩诉讼仲裁、知识产权、反不正当竞争、特许经营等。

德恒在一份新闻稿中表示，首尔办公室将配合德恒北京总部及各分所，第一时间响应中国企业赴韩投资、争议解决等领域的各项需求，为客户提供高效、优质的一站式服务。

去年，中国已连续18年位居韩国第一大贸易伙伴国，而韩国则跃升为中国的第四大贸易伙伴国。中国商务部数据显示，2021年中韩两国双边贸易额突破3600亿美元，双向投资额累计超过1000亿美元。

3月底，总部位于上海的锦天城律师事务所正式开设东京办公室，成为该所全球范围内第30家分支机构，也是继伦敦、西雅图、新加坡办公室后，锦天城正式开设的第四家海外办公室。

据悉，锦天城高级合伙人裘索博士将担任东京办公室首席代表。锦天城主任顾功耘在一份致辞中表示，近年来中日企业客户对于跨境法律服务需求的数量及质量要求均不断提升，日本业务目前已成为锦天城的重要板块之一，未来锦天城将继续为中日两国在国际贸易、跨境投资、商事仲裁等法律服务领域贡献力量。

开设东京办公室也是锦天城国际化进程中的关键一步。

PRC law firms explore new opportunities in neighboring countries

Beijing-headquartered DeHeng Law Offices has recently opened a new office in Seoul, which is the firm’s 51st branch globally.

DeHeng's Seoul office will be led by partner Zhu Cuiying, who mainly focuses on providing legal services in the areas of South Korean investment, Sina-Korean dispute resolution, intellectual property, competition law, and franchising.

DeHeng pointed out that the Seoul office will work with the firm’s Beijing headquarters and other offices to respond to the legal needs of Chinese companies in terms of investment and dispute resolution issues in South Korea.

China ranked as South Korea's top trading partner for 18 consecutive years in 2022. According to the Ministry of Commerce of China, bilateral trade between China and South Korea exceeded $360 billion in 2021, and the cumulative two-way investment volume exceeded $100 billion.

DeHeng is not the only one exploring new business opportunities in the neighboring countries. At the end of March, Shanghai-headquartered AllBright Law Offices has also launched a new office in Tokyo, which is the firm’s 30th branch globally and its fourth overseas office after London, Seattle and Singapore.

The firm’s senior partner Qiu Suo will act as the chief representative of the new office, which will focus on the Sino-Japanese trade, cross-border investment, as well as commercial dispute resolution. The opening of the new office will further complete AllBright’s presence in East Asia.