Foreign Law Firms in China – 2012 Listings

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Feb. 7 – Foreign law firms practicing China law, and advising clients on the same, must be registered and licensed by China’s Ministry of Justice, which also acts as the regulatory body. As of December 31, 2011, there were 208 licensed foreign law offices in China – please find the complete list below. A detailed list (in Chinese) is also provided by the Ministry of Justice on their official web site, you can view the list by clicking here.

Contents include the name of the firm, its country of origin, the date the China license was issued, and the firm’s web site (when applicable). We recommend for legal indemnity, legal insurance, and regulatory issues that foreign companies in China only use the services of China-registered practices.

Foreign firms authorized by the Chinese Ministry of Justice have to go through a rigorous application process, including capitalization of their China offices, a strict overview of their international competencies and thorough vetting procedures including legal references as to their suitability and good standing from the regulatory body in their own country.

Overseas law firms advising on matters of China law who are not registered with the Ministry of Justice are not authorized by the Chinese regulatory authorities to do so. The consequences of this can obviously be serious, in terms of the legitimacy of advice given, legal insurance considerations and misrepresentation issues.

(Readers may note that Dezan Shira & Associates, the owners of China Briefing, are a tax practice and therefore do not appear on this list)

Foreign Law Firms in China (December 31, 2011)

Beijing representative offices

Shanghai representative offices

Guangdong representative offices

Liaoning representative offices

Tianjin representative offices

Fujian representative offices

Dezan Shira & Associates are a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing legal establishment, tax, accounting and related business advisory services in China. The firm has assisted a number of foreign law firms establish operations in China and maintains twelve offices in China, including Hong Kong. To contact us, please email china@dezshira.com or visit our web site at www.dezshira.com.