Salans eyes Beijing after opening in Hong Kong

Salans is set to launch an office in Hong Kong and is planning for another in Beijing.

The firm expects to be up and running in Hong Kong within a few weeks and has secured two lateral partner hires for the launch. Salans hopes a presence in Hong Kong will complement its office in Shanghai.

A spokesperson for the firm said: "The office will focus on corporate finance and real estate deals. The city is a gateway and a lot of transactions go through Hong Kong for mainland China."

Salans ;expects ;to complete its trio of Chinese offices with a launch in Beijing this autumn. The Beijing office will focus on the regulatory aspects of foreign investment deals and will serve as a regional headquarters for North East China.

The firm has applied for a licence to practise in the Chinese capital and is waiting to hear back. "We'd hoped to be in Beijing before the Olympics hit this summer," said the spokesperson, "but the whole city will shut down then and it's looking more like autumn now."

Shanghai co-managing partner Bernd-Uwe Stucken will oversee the Beijing office once it opens.

Salans has also moved into new premises in Shanghai, consolidating its presence in the Chinese financial hub. The firm has moved its 25 Shanghai lawyers, who were previously spread across two offices, to a single building with enough floorspace for 50 lawyers.

The firm is in negotiations with a number of potential lateral hires to staff the Hong Kong office.