Uría Menéndez opens Beijing office

The firm becomes the first Iberian law firm to open an office in the Chinese capital.

January 25, 2010

As part of its international strategy, Uría Menéndez has opened an office in Beijing, China, and now has a total of 16 offices across Europe, America and Asia. This office will allow the firm to provide clients with services and assist them to manage their investments directly in China. It will also offer advice to Chinese clients on their investments in Spain, Portugal and, especially, Latin America, where Uría Menéndez has 5 offices and extensive experience advising foreign investors in the region.

The office is located on the 29th floor of the World Trade Center in Beijing’s financial hub. The firm has chosen Beijing because of its role as the political and business decision-making centre for foreign investments, which dominate Uría Menéndez’s practice in China. Uría Menéndez’s Beijing base is located next to that of two of its “best friends”: Slaughter and May from the UK, and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek from the Netherlands.

For some time Uría Menéndez has been developing strong links with China. Under the strategic agreement signed with the CCPIT (China Council for the Promotion of International Trade), Uría Menéndez has been supporting Chinese companies with interests in Spain, Portugal and Latin America. Uría Menéndez has been entrusted by the All China Lawyers Association (ACLA), the institution to which all Chinese lawyers belong, with running an annual training program for Chinese lawyers in continental Europe and Latin America. Uría Menéndez is also part of the consortium that operates the only law school in China with private funding (CESL - China EU School of Law) and, among other initiatives, is responsible for organizing a training program on Chinese investment in Europe.

José María Segovia, managing partner of Uria Menendez, has said that 'we are very proud to begin our journey in Asia with the opening of our new office in Beijing, the business and political decision-making centre. From there we will support Chinese companies with their international expansion plans and we will advise on the implementation of foreign investments in China, using the same formula that has achieved such good results in Latin America. Like any other international law firm, our teams include foreign and local lawyers, but with the difference that the Chinese lawyers we work with come from national law firms best-placed to advise on our particular projects.”