London-headquartered international law firm Stephenson Harwood has formally struck a strategic co-operation agreement with PRC peer W&H Law Firm, covering business collaboration, sharing knowledge and talent development.
Stephenson Harwood CEO Eifion Morris told China Business Law Journal that the partnership “enables our clients to benefit from strengthened coverage of legal services throughout mainland China”. In a separate press statement, Morris added that supporting Chinese companies as they expand overseas and helping them capture opportunities in key markets forms a central pillar of the firm’s Greater China strategy.
Guo Jun, senior partner and head of W&H’s Shanghai office, told China Business Law Journal that the core focus of the collaboration was addressing “last-mile” compliance and dispute resolution issues faced by Chinese companies going global.
Stephenson Harwood’s extensive experience in sectors such as shipping, insurance and energy infrastructure will dovetail closely with W&H’s domestic practice in those areas.
Building on the co-operation framework, the two firms plan to further refine their collaboration models and pricing mechanisms to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of their joint offerings.
In addition to supporting Chinese companies’ overseas expansion, the firms will also work together to assist international clients entering the China market.
Guo added that the partnership is intended to go beyond transactional co-operation. “We are looking not only at business collaboration, but also at jointly developing standardised compliance guidelines for cross-border investments, collaborating on major multinational project bids, and building efficient internal case-handling and co-ordination mechanisms,” he said.
Stephenson Harwood operates 10 offices worldwide across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with more than 700 lawyers and over 220 partners globally. The firm has maintained an association with Wei Tu Law Firm since 2016 and established its first Chinese mainland representative office in Shanghai in 2024. Its Hong Kong office, founded in 1979, is the firm’s largest in Asia.
Beijing-headquartered W&H Law Firm has close to 5,000 lawyers and operates 59 offices worldwide, with a presence outside the Chinese mainland in Hong Kong, Vientiane, Hanoi, Bangkok, Tokyo, Sydney and Los Angeles.
Beyond business co-operation, the two firms will engage in knowledge-sharing initiatives at multiple levels, including partner forums as well as exchange and training programmes for junior lawyers.
Guo said W&H hoped the collaboration would allow its younger lawyers to gain first-hand exposure to Stephenson Harwood’s global teams and international service standards, while also welcoming the international law firm’s lawyers to China to gain an immersive understanding of the country’s business models and regulatory environment.
