The nearly two-year-old YaoWang Law Office has boosted its ranks with the addition of partner Reking Chen from DaHui Lawyers in October as well as three partners and their teams from Simmons & Simmons in June.
The new partners from Simmons & Simmons include Melody Yang, Sherry Si and Frank Zhuang. Yang, who has joined as co-head of YaoWang, will be based in Beijing and Shanghai, while Si and Zhuang are based in Shanghai.
Yang and Si specialise in asset management and fund business, providing advice on establishing US dollar and renminbi funds, the issuance and compliance for private equity funds, public funds, wealth management products, trust plans, and insurance asset management products.
Zhuang brings more than 20 years of experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and compliance.
Founded in 2022, YaoWang is co-managed by May Lu, who previously served as the labour law partner at Simmons & Simmons in Shanghai. In the same year, Simmons & Simmons formed a strategic alliance with YaoWang while retaining offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
However, the London-headquartered firm’s website currently displays no lawyers in the Shanghai office.
A spokesperson told China Business Law Journal that YaoWang would focus on PRC law, while Simmons & Simmons would address international legal issues
Chen, the latest addition, specialises in intellectual property and has extensive experience in cross-border litigation and non-litigation matters. He is qualified to practice in the US and China, and used to be a partner at DaHui Lawyers and DLA Piper.
