Big news in China in 2014 was the rumor of talks between Chinese firms Zhong Lun and Jun He about a merger. The managing partner of Jun He had previously told Legal Week that there were no plans for a merger, but the possibility of conversations between the firms certainly got tongues wagging. Likewise, King & Wood Mallesons’ (KWM) announcement that it would not pursue a US merger for the time being is thought to have sparked surprise on the mainland.
Since the world’s second largest economy continues to impose practice restrictions on foreign law firms, 2014 saw most international firms focused on trying to crack the market via other means.
