Within two months, three international law firms announced they would be scaling back their business operations in China.

Latham & Watkins decided to shutter its 18-year-old Shanghai office as part of a strategic shift to consolidate its China offering in Beijing. Latham said its decision to close in Shanghai was triggered by the upcoming expiration of its office lease and a determination there are “significant synergies to be gained” by merging its Shanghai resources with Beijing.