McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (MLA) announces that it is in the process of applying with the Department of Justice of the People’s Republic of China to open a Shanghai office. The Shanghai office, which will expand the Firm’s geographic reach to 16 offices in 14 markets, will mark MLA’s second in Asia following the March 2013 opening of the Seoul, South Korea office.
“The planned opening of our Shanghai office is a result of continued client demand. There is a clear increase in transactional activity involving Chinese-based companies,” said Tom Wardell, the leader of the Firm’s China-U.S. transactional practice. “With the help of the Bay Area Council, we were able to find a highly desirable location that will allow us to more fully serve our clients’ needs.” MLA has strong ties to the Bay Area Council, which is a business-sponsored, public policy advocacy organization based in San Francisco and with deep roots in China.
“The planned opening of our Shanghai office is another step in strategically expanding the services we provide and the value we add to clients and their businesses,” said Jeff Haidet, Firm Chairman. “We have a significant number of Chinese clients and we hope to leverage our presence in Shanghai to their benefit and to the benefit of other Chinese and U.S. companies seeking access to both markets.”
The Firm’s China team, which includes 8 Mandarin speaking lawyers, regularly advises Chinese companies operating in the U.S. capital markets. As a full-service law firm, MLA helps companies do business in areas that are subject to U.S. government regulation, including securities, corporate finance transactions, mergers and acquisitions, investigations, pesticides, international trade and intellectual property.
The office will be located in the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in the Yangpu District of Shanghai. The area is home to 14 major universities and colleges and fosters technological innovation and entrepreneurship.
