7th July 2008. Salans, the international law firm with offices across 19 cities worldwide, today announces that it has obtained the licence from the PRC Ministry of Justice to open a second office in Mainland China, to be located in Beijing.  Matthias Mueller is appointed the Managing Partner of the office.

Opening a Beijing office is a key part of Salans’ recently announced development plan for China.  Beijing puts in place a key building block of Salans’ strategy to offer its clients a capability across Greater China.

The office will serve corporate and institutional clients with regional headquarters in the Chinese capital.  It will provide the base for Salans to develop its Foreign Direct Investment and M&A business in the north-east China region.  The office will also provide a focal point for serving the growing number of Salans’ clients from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) who are investing in China.

Matthias Mueller is a German national and fluent Mandarin speaker who has been permanently based in China since 2002.  He specializes in all aspects of corporate law and foreign direct investment, including mergers and acquisitions and the restructuring of foreign invested enterprises. 

John Flanigan, co-managing partner of Salans’ Shanghai office said: “Matthias is an excellent member of Salans’ China team and his deep knowledge of the Chinese market will prove invaluable to clients in Beijing.  We can now provide a service across China in corporate, finance and real estate.”

Matthias Mueller said: “Our team in Beijing will complement our two other operations in China and will solidify our position among the leading firms for advice on the China market.  This is a compelling opportunity to serve our clients not only in China’s capital but across the north-east region.”

Dariusz Oleszczuk, Salans’ Global Managing Partner says:  “Our opening in Beijing is a key building block in our international strategy.  Salans’ coverage across China continues our story of successful development in fast growing markets, with a dynamic group of partners.”  

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Salans is an international commercial law firm with over 750 lawyers operating from 19 offices in ALMATY, BAKU, BARCELONA, BERLIN1, BRATISLAVA, BUCHAREST, BUDAPEST, FRANKFURT1, ISTANBUL, KYIV, LONDON, MADRID, MOSCOW, NEW YORK, PARIS, PRAGUE, SHANGHAI, ST. PETERSBURG and WARSAW. We also have operations in the Middle East in Doha, Qatar and the French Pacific.  More information about Salans can be found at www.salans.com

1 Salans LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership registered in London with Registration Number OC 316822. Registered Office Millennium Bridge House, Lambeth Hill, London EC4V 4AJ, United Kingdom.  Both Salans and Salans LLP are regulated by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority. A list of members of SALANS is available at the above Registered Office.