PRC firms are hungry for international talent

The recent lateral hires from international firms by leading domestic outfits Allbright Law Offices, Jun He Law Offices, King & Wood, Fangda Partners and Global Law Office (it welcomed two new partners this March from the Beijing offices of Paul Hastings and Shearman & Sterling) have raised eyebrows and triggered talk of the shifting PRC legal market.

As domestic firms become more sophisticated to keep up with the rapid pace of development in the Chinese market, and clients eschew the high fees and costs of international firms, the former are looking to improve their offering and capture a greater portion of any middle ground that exists between them and the internationals. A key strategy is to broaden their services by bringing both strong local and international capabilities to the table, an attractive platform for clients.