Leading UK and US lawyers still regard China as a key strategic market despite a series of high-profile law firm withdrawals from the Asian region in recent months.

In response to a survey by Legal Week Global’s sister title Legal Week and recruiters EJ Legal, of more than 100 partners, almost 60% of respondents with an office on the mainland said China was one of their top priorities. Forty percent of respondents were at firms with an existing office in mainland China.