Hogan Lovells forms Shanghai free-trade zone partnership

“This is an exciting time in Asia. The establishment of the [FTZ] by the Chinese government and the implementation of the new rules allowing foreign law firms in China to team up with a Chinese firm have dramatically changed the landscape,” said Patrick Sherrington, Asia Pacific and Middle East regional managing partner for Hogan Lovells. “Multinationals have been quick to demonstrate their interest in the industry-specific liberalisation policies within the Shanghai FTZ, while other investors have been drawn in by the simplified approval procedures.”

Hogan Lovells partners Andrew McGinty and Katie Feng will be leading the relationship with Fidelity and the promotion of the joint services from the two firms to clients.

“Asia is critical to our global strategy and the Shanghai FTZ offers an exciting opportunity to expand our service offering in the region,” said Steve Immelt, chief executive of Hogan Lovells. “The landscape is moving quickly there, so we need to be on the ground to cater for the increasingly complex needs of our clients in this market.”

Fidelity was established in 1989 and is one of the biggest law firms in Fujian province. The firm has around 170 lawyers and is known for corporate and M&A, insolvency and liquidation, financial securities, real estate and construction, and arbitration and litigation work. It currently has six offices, not including the FTZ, all of which are in Fujian.

“This is a critical step toward Fidelity becoming a large and significant national firm,” said Wang Ping, managing partner of the firm’s new office in the FTZ. “The association will give Fidelity even more opportunities to learn from a large, global law firm like Hogan Lovells and allow us to grow.”