French independent Lefevre Pelletier & Associes is to open in Shanghai in September.

The firm, which is still waiting to receive its licence, expects to have around 10 lawyers in the office, including local head Paul-Emmanuel Benachi. The launch will add to Lefevre’s existing offices in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and comes just months after the expansive French firm entered North Africa at the end of last year with offices in Algeria and Morocco.