The Qianhai Joint Venture Office, operated by Guangdong Zhiheng Law Firm and Celeblaws, P.A., has recently received approval to set up in the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen (Qianhai Cooperation Zone). It is Guangdong's first Sino-foreign law firm joint venture license issued to this collaborative office, making Qianhai the second region in China to host such a joint venture office, marking a significant step forward in the opening-up and international cooperation of legal services.
For a long time, Chinese legal services could only be provided by Chinese lawyers, while foreign law firms and their representatives were restricted to offering foreign legal services when it comes to cross-border legal matters, causing significant inconveniences to clients.
Exploring new ways and mechanisms to closely collaborate between Chinese mainland law firms and those from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, as well as foreign law firms, has become a crucial aspect of promoting the further opening-up of the legal services industry.
With new measures carried out by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Justice, Qianhai has become the sole region in Guangdong authorized to pilot joint ventures between Chinese and foreign law firms.
The inaugural joint venture office is jointly established by Guangdong Zhiheng Law Firm, one of China's earliest partnership law firms with headquarters in Shenzhen and 15 branches nationwide, which has been honored as one of the Top 15 Growing Law Firms in China by Asian Legal Business (ALB) 2023, and Celeblaws, P.A., which maintains offices in Florida and New York and boasts several lawyers recognized as Super Lawyers in the US. The latter specializes in cross-border intellectual property disputes, cross-border e-commerce policy interpretation and platform management, with rich experience in cases related to Amazon.
The joint venture office will leverage its strengths in areas such as "cross-border investment and mergers & acquisitions, data security, cross-border e-commerce, intellectual property protection, Sino-US litigation and arbitration, Sino-US marriage, real estate, and immigration" to actively explore and develop specialized legal services pertaining to 337 and 301 investigations in the Sino-US trade realm, offering tailored legal solutions to Chinese enterprises venturing into the US market.
As a matter of fact, Qianhai has vigorously promoted the construction of being an international legal service center since over two years ago when it commenced its operation of the "Qianhai-Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Legal Services District". Currently, a total of 223 legal institutions across six categories have set up operations in Qianhai, fostering a high-quality, high-standard hub for foreign-related legal services.
Reporter | Cai Minling, Zhang Wei
Photo | Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen
Editor | Will, James
