Browne Jacobson signs ‘best friends’ agreement with leading Chinese law firm

Law firm Browne Jacobson, which has an office in Exeter, has strengthened its international offering by entering into a formal ‘best friends’ agreement with one of the leading law firms in China.

The firm has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Guanghe Law Firm, the largest law firm in South China.

The MoU will allow both firms the opportunity to provide a more integrated service offering and will include sharing information and knowledge on topical issues in areas such as intellectual property and brands, immigration, corporate and property, environmental, corporate finance and technology.

Guanghe Law Firm is the largest law firm in South China with over 600 lawyers across 13 locations. The firm has its headquarters in Shenzhen - a city which links mainland China with Hong Kong and is widely known as the tech design and manufacturing capital of the world. Its other office locations are in Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, DongGuan, Qianhai, Longgang, Taipei, New York City, Toronto and Montevideo.

The firm specialises in securities, corporate and finance, litigation/arbitration, commercial transactions, construction and real estate, intellectual property, entertainment, labor and employment, taxation and international transactions.

The arrangement will complement Browne Jacobson’s existing membership of Pangea Net- an international network of independent law firms, which it co-founded in 2009.

Dominic Offord, head of Browne Jacobson’s Commercial Disputes Resolution team, along with intellectual property partner Selina Hinchcliffe, met with representatives of Guanghe Law Firm.

Dominic Offord said: “Although this is not an exclusive relationship, we have already worked collaboratively on some client matters and this agreement builds on the well-established ties we have established with colleagues at Guanghe Law Firm over a number of years.

“Many of our clients have global ambitions and so having a close relationship with Guanghe Law Firm, one of the most highly respected and leading law firms in China, will prove to be a significant advantage.

“Our clients will be able to mutually benefit from our combined sector and local market expertise in two of the world’s leading economies. We are also planning to explore opportunities where we can pitch jointly for projects and work where there is a strong synergy between our sector specialisms.”