American full-service law firm Heller Ehrman is to open a Shanghai office that will focus on IP work.
The firm already has offices in Beijing and Hong Kong that do corporate work, and is aiming to open a Shanghai office in January 2008.
Jonny Chiu will be the chief representative in Shanghai and will be joined by Wayne Gu.
Chiu told MIP Week that the firm has decided to establish an IP office in China because the country is becoming “increasingly sophisticated” in its demand for IP services.
Heller Ehrman chose Shanghai because it is “a window between Taiwan and China,” said Chiu, who believes that more than 90% of the firm’s Taiwanese clients have operations in the Chinese city.
A number of US and UK law firms have decided to set up IP-focused offices in China this year.
US IP specialists Foley & Lardner and UK firm Marks & Clerk both announced that they were opening offices in Shanghai in January.
In March McDermott Will & Emery, whose headquarters are in Chicago, entered into an alliance with MWE China law offices, a newly formed Chinese firm, while UK full-service firm Wragge & Co announced plans to open offices in Guangzhou and Hong Kong to deal with IP work.
