London-headquartered international law firm Pinsent Masons has formed a joint venture with China Commercial Law Firm in Qianhai, Shenzhen, which has become the second joint operation between a Chinese and foreign law firm in Guangdong province.
Kanyi Lui, head of China at Pinsent Masons, told China Business Law Journal: “Our focus in the region over this period has been primarily on the energy and infrastructure sectors, however the opening of our office in Shenzhen in January and the joint venture with CCL will make us better positioned to provide clients in Southern China in key sectors such as renewables, finance, technology and logistics, with seamless cross-border services as they go global.”
Zeng Tieshan, director of the executive committee of China Commercial Law Firm, told China Business Law Journal: “Pinsent Masons has a long history of development and mature experience in managing cross-cultural teams and regional co-ordination. This offers valuable reference for us to accelerate the building of a world-class law firm.”
The joint operation benefited from Qianhai’s special policy on Sino-foreign law firm partnerships. In March 2023, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Justice issued pilot implementation measures for joint ventures between Chinese and foreign law firms in Qianhai.
The move made Qianhai the only area in Guangdong running dual pilot schemes – one for joint operations between law firms from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, and another for partnerships between Chinese and foreign firms. It also became the third such pilot zone in China, following Shanghai and the Hainan Free Trade Port.
Based on the website of Legal Services of China, Qianhai now hosts 12 joint-operating law firms. Earlier, ZhiHeng Law Firm and US peer Celeblaws established a joint operation office in Qianhai in June 2025, marking the first Sino-foreign law firm joint office in Guangdong.
Zeng said that as early as 2014, China Commercial Law Firm had set up China Commercial Lam Lee Lai (Qianhai) Associate Law Firm, China’s first Hong Kong joint operation law firm, in Qianhai. The area’s distinctive policy environment and innovative atmosphere provided an ideal environment for deeper integration of cross-border legal services.
The new joint operation office is located on the 23rd floor of SCIA Tower in Qianhai, sharing premises with China Commercial Lam Lee Lai (Qianhai) Associate Law Firm. It is also the seventh joint operation office established by China Commercial Law Firm.
A China Commercial Law Firm press release said the office would focus on 10 core practice areas, including cross-border finance and investment, full-cycle support for cross-border M&A, international trade legal practice, international shipping and logistics compliance, overseas energy and infrastructure projects, cross-border investment in mining and natural resources, legal services for the biopharmaceutical and life sciences sector, multi-jurisdictional data compliance and market access, cross-border bankruptcy restructuring and asset enforcement, and international arbitration and cross-border dispute resolution.
Pinsent Masons opened its Hong Kong office in 1983 and has operated in China for more than 40 years, building strength in its construction, infrastructure and energy practices, with offices now in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It operates 30 offices worldwide, focusing on cross-border transactions and dispute resolution.
Founded in 1993, China Commercial Law Firm operates 72 branches globally and has more than 5,000 professionals and over 3,000 practising lawyers. Its practice areas cover capital markets, cross-border investment and financing, energy infrastructure and intellectual property.
