Fast boat to China

Kirkland & Ellis’ recent opening of an office in Hong Kong is typical of foreign law firms seeking a slice of private equity action in China. Kirkland transferred private equity partner David Patrick Eich from London to head the office; Eich will be assisted by Mandarin speakers Chuan Li and Tai Hsia from Kirkland’s Chicago and London offices, respectively.
A number of foreign firms with a presence in Hong Kong have established a presence in the mainland, but McDermott Will & Emery is jumping straight into the fray. The Chicago law firm, with 14 offices globally and none in
Asia, is going where no other law firm has gone – it has set up a formal joint venture with a local Chinese law firm.
McDermott is marketing MWE China Law Offices as a “strategic alliance” with Yuan Da Law Offices of Shanghai, but the entity leaves potential clients and observers with no doubts about its identity: “We are a Chinese law firm,” reads its homepage. The move may have in part come as a response to the Shanghai Bar Association’s memo, which last April accused foreign firms of “threatening China’s legal system and economic safety” by allegedly practicing Chinese law illegally, evading taxes, engaging in false advertising and establishing or controlling Chinese firms.
For now, MWE’s reputation is riding heavily on that of its two founding partners, John Z.L. Huang and Kevin Y. Qian, both who joined from Allbright Law Offices, the second largest law firm in China. Huang, one of the four founding partners of Allbright, is an expert in foreign venture capital, private equity, intellectual property law, and international arbitration and litigation. Qian was chair of Allbright’s corporate practice and served as a member of its executive committee. He focuses on financial, commercial and intellectual property law, and has worked on M&A, venture capital and syndicated loan deals.
Huang and Qian’s backgrounds exemplify the type of talent the legal industry believes is ideal for China. Both are Chinese natives bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English, with first law degrees from China and advanced law degrees from the West.
Additionally, Qian is a member of the American bar and China law associations and has worked for San Francisco law firm Pillsbury Madison & Sutro (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw & Pittman).