Leon Yee

Philadelphia-based Duane Morris is preparing to launch in Shanghai.

The firm is currently awaiting approval from the Chinese Ministry of Justice for its first China office, which will be established through the firm's Singapore joint venture Duane Morris & Selvam. The new office will focus on overseas investment by Chinese companies and will also work with domestic firms on international aspects of inbound investment by foreign multinationals.

Duane Morris & Selvam managing director Leon Yee will serve as the firm's chief representative in China and will spend three weeks every month in Shanghai. Associate director Eng Wee Chong will relocate from Singapore to Shanghai full-time to run day-to-day operations. Yee says the firm hopes to expand the office to five lawyers through additional recruitment.

The firm initially eschewed the China market as too competitive and opted to focus on Singapore and Southeast Asia instead. But firm chairman John J. Soroko said in a statement that Duane Morris' move now was "the natural next step" after its expansion elsewhere in the region and its experience handling China-related matters for multinational clients.

John Soroko

"It is our intent to be a key facilitator of Chinese companies seeking to invest abroad," said Soroko. "Additionally, many of our clients have shared with us their intense interest in entering the Chinese market or in actively developing their existing investments there. We are now even better positioned to help them achieve those goals."

Aside from Singapore, Duane Morris also has Asia offices in Vietnam and Myanmar. Globally, the firm has about 700 lawyers in 26 offices.