Legal Business

Magic Circle firms join Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s bulked up legal panel

Allen & Overy and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are among a handful of UK firms to win spots on The Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s (Mofcom) new legal panel.

Having undertaken a complete reshuffle of its go-to law firms, Mofcom has handed first-time places to nine international law firms on its expanded international investment panel, with four dropping off.

Freshfields and A&O were the two Magic Circle firms to make the international investment panel, reviewed for the first time since Mofcom formed its first formal legal roster in 2013. Other new firms to this panel include Hogan Lovells, Shearman & Sterling, Vinson & Elkins, Curtis Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.

The international investment panel is one of four sub-panels which also include; world trade organisation and regional trade agreement dispute resolution, trade remedies and trade barrier investigations.

Less fortunate was Herbert Smith Freehills, which has come off the panel just two years after winning a position, and US firms Dechert, Arnold & Porter and Squire Sanders. Mayer Brown, which made Mofcom’s World Trade Organization and regional trade agreement disputes panel two years ago also lost his place.

Hong Kong-headquartered King & Wood Mallesons secured a repeat appointment, with while Steptoe & Johnson, Sidley Austin, Dentons, Baker & McKenzie and Jones Day also kept their positions on the panel.

Fifteen Chinese law firms were chosen to provide legal advice on international investment treaty negotiation, foreign investment and international investment disputes. Zhong Lun, King & Wood Mallesons, JT & N, Huanzhong, AllBright, Fangda, DeHeng, Grandall, Han Kun, Lan Tai and Zhuo Wei were all selected.

Fen Xun, which earlier this year sealed a deal with Baker & McKenzie to allow the international firm to practise Chinese law through a joint venture in Shanghai, and new Dentons partner Dacheng also secured spots. Jun He, one of Slaughter and May’s best-friend firms, also was appointed.

Access the full list on Mofcom’s website here.

tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

Foreign firms on the international investment legal affairs sub-panel

Shearman & Sterling

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Allen & Overy

Steptoe & Johnson

Sidley Austin

Hogan Lovells

Dentons

Baker & Mckenzie

King & Wood Mallesons

Vinson & Elkins

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost,Colt & Mosle

Bennett Jones

Jones Day

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

Mannheimer Swartling Advokatbyr

Foreign firms on the trade barrier investigations sub-panel

Covington & Burling

Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe

Alston & Bird

Steptoe & Johnson

Perkins Coie

Sidley Austin

Goodwin Procter

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

Hogan Lovells

Foreign firms on the WTO and regional trade agreements sub-panel

Sidley Austin

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle

Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan

Steptoe & Johnson

Holman Fenwick Willan

Jones Day

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr

Morris, Manning & Martin

Van Bael & Bellis

Dentons

Hogan Lovells

VVGB Advocaten

Perkins Coie

Bennett Jones

Foreign firms on the trade remedies sub-panel

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle

Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt

Perkins Coie

Morris, Manning & Martin

Steptoe & Johnson

Baker & Mckenzie

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, & Feld

Alston & Bird

VVGB Advocaten

Lakshmikumanran & Sridharan

Van Bael & Bellis

Holman Fenwick Willan

Dentons

Bennett Jones

Moulis Legal

Lakshmikumanran & Sridharan

Dua Associates

Hanafiah Ponggawa & Partners

Noronha Advogados

Uno Trade-Estrategistas de Comercio International