The Legal 500

Within Foreign firms Other recommended firms

Within Foreign firms, Bird & Bird is a first tier firm,

Managing partner Matthew Laight heads the team at Bird & Bird, which is split between China and Hong Kong. The group has recently been growing, increasing the number of trade mark agent fee-earners in Beijing from one to three in the past twelve months. In Shanghai, it recruited Weishi Li from O’Melveny & Myers LLP, whose strong pharmaceutical background added weight to the firm’s already strong expertise in this sector. Additionally, Clifford Borg-Marks joined as special counsel in Beijing. Recent work examples include an instruction by a global pharmaceuticals company relating to a patent infringement case involving a Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer. It is also advising Konami Digital Entertainment on a design patent infringement matter relating to an arcade game, and advised an importer of Goji berries when a supplier in China breached contract terms. The firm also acts for JCB and various food and beverage clients.

Within Foreign firms, Bird & Bird is a first tier firm,

Bird & Bird’s standalone TMT practice is headed by Marcus Vass in Hong Kong, and includes Grace Chen in Beijing. The ‘excellent’ Weishi Li in Shanghai recently joined from O’Melveny & Myers LLP; she has ‘excellent subject matter expertise and the ability to understand the business driving decisions on technology-related agreements’. The team was recently instructed by Octopus Group on high-profile data protection issues, and the firm advised Citibank Hong Kong on the use of digital signatures of its customers. The firm is advising T-Systems International on various telecoms regulatory issues, and it is a trusted advisor on commercial and media matters throughout Mainland China for long-standing client Ferrari. Other clients include Condé Nast, which instructs the firm on matters relating to publishing, advertising and distribution for some of its China editions.