Berwin Leighton to Open Beijing Office

Tom Brennan

The Asian Lawyer

02-22-2013

Berwin Leighton Paisner has announced it will open a Beijing office, its first in mainland China.

The British firm has received a license from the Ministry of Justice and plans to begin operations in May. Former Berwin Leighton Chairman Peter Robinson will head the office. He is currently completing a one-year secondment as an in-house lawyer in the Shanghai office of British supermarket chain Tesco Plc., a client of the firm.

The Beijing team will focus on advising clients on inbound infrastructure and real estate deals, as well as outbound transactions by Chinese companies. The firm did not say how many lawyers would work in the new office.

Berwin Leighton, which has 850 lawyers worldwide, also has Asia-based offices in Hong Kong and Singapore.