DLA and Norton Rose are awarded first licences to seek great haul of China

ASIA: Linklaters, Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy given clearance to unveil second offices

City firms DLA and Norton Rose have been granted their first licences to operate in China, while a clutch of other practices have won licences for second offices in the country.

Norton Rose will open in Beijing, whereas DLA plans to open offices in Shanghai shortly.

Stewart Crowther, DLA's office managing partner for Hong Kong, said he was delighted the firm had been granted a licence to operate in China.

He said: 'The licence is a further step towards our long-term vision.

The Shanghai office will initially concentrate on the local and international corporate, commercial, shipping and insurance markets, but we will aim to develop a full service capability over the next 12 months.'

City firms Linklaters, Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy and US firm Sidley & Austin have all had licences granted to them to call their second offices by the name of the main firm.

Linklaters and Clifford Chance's Beijing offices came through their alliance and merger with Dutch firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek and Germany's Pnder respectively.

Allen & Overy took on Loeff Claeys Verbeke's Beijing office two years ago.

Chris Roberts, Allen & Overy's Asian regional managing partner, said the licences represented the fulfilment of undertakings made by China as part of its negotiations to join the World Trade Organisation.

He said the licences had been awarded indefinitely rather than subject to five-yearly reviews - the usual method in China - which made the status of the offices more straightforward.

Mr Roberts said there would now be an uplift in recruitment for legal personnel in China.

He said Allen & Overy would use existing staff from its Hong Kong office, and look to lateral hires.

'There are also many Chinese students who have been studying LLMs in the UK who we will be looking at,' he said.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Herbert Smith are still awaiting news on whether they have been granted licences for their second offices.

Jeremy Fleming