US multinational law firm WilmerHale will close its Beijing office, its only branch in China and Asia, by the end of November this year.
The firm’s spokesman told China Business Law Journal, “Like many others, WilmerHale has evaluated our global footprint and has made the decision to close our office in Beijing.”
The Beijing office, established in 2004, has been led by partner Lester Ross, and houses partner Kenneth Zhou and two other lawyers. The spokesman said most of the employees would transition in November, but he did not specify the next move of the partners. The firm’s operation in China will wind down by March next year when the lease expires.
WilmerHale closed its Shanghai office back in 2021. After completely exiting from China this year, the firm will only have branches in the US and Europe. Last year, the firm’s revenue reached USD1.5 billion, ranking it 31st in the US.
In the past 18 months, 14 foreign law firms have closed their offices in China, including Skadden which announced its exit from Shanghai in October.
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