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Global law firm White & Case has announced that the government of China has licensed the establishment of a White & Case LLP office in Beijing, which will add to the firm’s ability to serve its multinational clients and a growing roster of domestic Chinese interests.


The licence, which was granted by the Ministry of Justice of the People’s Republic of China on April 12, 2004, allows White & Case to open an office in Beijing – the firm’s third China office following Shanghai (opened in 2001) and the China headquarters in Hong Kong (opened in 1978).


White & Case sees Beijing as important not only as the focal point for law and government policy in China, but also as a vital commercial and financial center in its own right. It has forged long-standing relationships with Chinese government authorities at both national and local levels, and has for more than two decades assisted multinational and Chinese companies doing business locally and abroad. John Kuzmik, who leads the firm’s China practice, says that White & Case now looks to the Beijing office to enhance the firm’s success in China.


“Although we expect continued strategic direct investment by our corporate and institutional clients in China, the trend is toward more financially-driven transactions and complex mergers and acquisitions,” Kuzmik says. “White & Case also is increasingly called upon to assist Chinese companies and financial institutions as they expand abroad. Our Beijing office will provide us with even better access to government decision makers, as well as to the headquarters of China’s largest corporations and financial institutions.”


White & Case is advising the largest Chinese banks on lending to major infrastructure development projects and domestic companies in regard to international financial transactions and litigation. The firm will continue to participate in the intense growth and burgeoning sophistication of business transactions involving China, both inbound and outbound, drawing on its strong global capabilities and depth of experience.


“The refinement of China’s economy is an ongoing process. The structuring and implementation of business transactions in China require both innovation and a multi-disciplinary approach to meet our clients “legal needs,” Kuzmik adds.


Accordingly, the firm is staffing its China practice with focused concentration on capabilities in capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity, banking and finance, taxation and intellectual property.


The White & Case office is to be located on the 9th floor of the Beijing International Club Office Tower, adjacent to the St Regis Hotel, in the prime commercial centre of Chaoyang District Beijing.