Chicago-headquartered Sidley Austin will close its office in Shanghai, making it the most recent law firm to scale back its operations in China.
In an email, the firm confirmed to ALB that it will not renew its lease for the Shanghai office due to "review of office space and attorney requests to relocate or retire."
“We will consolidate our China operations in September 2024 with relocations to Beijing, Hong Kong, and other Sidley offices,” the firm said. "We remain committed to offering a full range of services in the China market and our clients will not be impacted."
Sidley’s move to downsize its China operations follows similar announcements by other U.S. law firms like Perkins Coie, Orrick, and Weil.
Established in 1999, Sidley's Shanghai office primarily provided legal services related to foreign direct investment, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, funds, and capital markets to multinational and Chinese corporate clients.
The office currently has 11 lawyers, including partners Tang Zhengyu and Ji Ruchun, counsel Chen Ling, and Chinese advisors Yao Jiefei and Pan Cheng.
Tang, the chief representative of Sidley Shanghai, leads the firm’s inbound investment, M&A and regulatory compliance practice in China. He joined Sidley in 2002.
Ji advises investors, strategic and private equity buyers, and high-growth companies globally in life sciences, healthcare, and technology. He also represents clients on regulatory matters involving CFIUS. Ji joined Sidley in 2015 and spends his time between Shanghai and the firm’s Palo Alto office.
