Simmons & Simmons has announced the opening of a new office in Shenzhen, strengthening its existing presence in Greater China, including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.

Reinforced commitment

The firm says opening the Shenzhen office reinforces their growth and commitment to Asia, and follows the Greater Bay Area plan announcement by the Chinese government. Simmons & Simmons has a long history of advising clients in Shenzhen, especially in the telecoms, media and technology (TMT) sector. The firm has also been assisting those TMT businesses, globally, on their legal matters including GDPR and global data compliance, regulatory, competition, corporate transactions and commercial, disputes, intellectual property (litigation and advisory), employment and compliance related investigations. The new office will allow the firm to better address its clients’ needs and assist them with their local, regional and international legal requirements. Jingyuan Shi, TMT partner at Simmons & Simmons, will focus on serving the Shenzhen market, bolstering the firm’s presence in the TMT sector in the Greater China region, together with the firm’s international TMT teams led by London-based partner, Alexander Brown.

TMT market

Commenting on the office opening, head of Asia, Paul Li said “China is currently the world’s second most important TMT market after the US. This move enables us to build on our existing presence in the country and to fully utilise our experience and knowledge of the TMT sector to deliver an unrivalled service to clients. We are committed to continuing investment in this market, working under The Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA).” Jingyuan Shi commented, “Shenzhen is rapidly growing as a force in the technology industry and plays a pivotal role as a global innovation powerhouse. This is a milestone moment for Simmons & Simmons globally and will benefit our clients significantly, as Shenzhen continues to grow as the tech megacity of China and the world.”