The giant size of legacy Dacheng Law Offices, with nearly 4,000 lawyers working in 43 offices throughout China, propelled Dentons to the ranks of world’s biggest law firms last year, when the Anglo-American firm merged with the Chinese one.

Meanwhile, China’s 130-lawyer Haiwen & Partners has pursued its own expansion plans, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. In April Haiwen opened its third office, in Shenzhen—some 17 years after the Beijing-based firm opened its second office, in Shanghai.