Pinsent Masons enters joint venture with China Commercial Law Firm

The joint venture – known as the China Commercial Law Firm and Pinsent Masons LLP, Qianhai Joint Operation Office - is the first of its kind in the Qianhai Free Trade Zone and Mainland China.

The relationship will see the two firms maintain their independent name and offices, but will work together on matters for existing clients and win work from prospective clients. The joint venture will see the two firms bring together their extensive networks in China and globally to service both Chinese and international clients.

The joint venture comes after Pinsent Masons officially opened its Shenzhen office on 22 January 2026 – the firm’s third office in mainland China and fourth in Greater China.

Pinsent Masons has operated in China for more than 40 years and leads the market in construction, infrastructure and energy and is ranked number one in Belt-and-Road Initiative related matters since 2017.  With 30 offices across the world, Pinsent Masons provides clients with unparalleled expertise on both transactional and contentious matters globally.

CCL has more than 260 partners and 3,000 lawyers in 58 offices around China. Founded in 1993, CCL is one of the first partnership law firms in China, ranked as one of China’s top 10 law firm and has been consistently ranked first in Shenzhen, Guangdong and Southern China in terms of size and revenue. Pinsent Masons and CCL share experience and expertise in key practice areas, including energy, infrastructure, M&A, capital markets, banking and finance, real estate, construction, arbitration and mediation, and pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

Pinsent Masons’ Global Senior Partner Andrew Masraf said the joint venture was an exciting development for the firm.

‘The opening of our Shenzhen office and the announcement of the joint venture with CCL, together with the opening of our office in Riyadh last year and in Poland in May this year, positions us to service our clients in key areas of global economic growth,’ Andrew said.

‘In particular, we are well positioned to continue to take the opportunities created by the flow of work between China and the Middle East, especially in the energy and infrastructure sectors. We see this as a great driver of work for us across our global network and really plays to our strengths as a firm.’

Chief Partner of China Commercial Law Firm, Gao Shu, said the firm was excited to be working with Pinsent Masons.

‘Our aim is to build a seamless service for cross-border legal services for our clients,’ he said.

‘This alliance will build a powerful legal entity for Chinese enterprises as they expand globally, but will also, through the deep integration of Chinese and international legal service systems, help redefine the landscape of international commercial law.’

Pinsent Masons’ Head of Asia Pacific James Morgan-Payler said the joint venture with CCL was another significant step in Pinsent Masons’ growth in the Asia Pacific region.

‘We have been steadily and strategically growing our presence in the Asia Pacific for more than 40 years, since opening our Hong Kong office in 1983,’ James said.

‘Our focus in the region over this period has been primarily on the energy and infrastructure sectors, however these moves into Shenzhen and the joint venture with CCL will provide us with the opportunity to advise clients in key sectors such as finance, technology and logistics, all of which have a heavy presence in the Qianhai Free Trade Zone.’ 

Pinsent Masons’ Head of China Kanyi Lui said the ‘partnership of equals’ with CCL stems from the shared values and vision of the two firms. 

‘China is one of the most strategically important markets for our clients.  Chinese corporates are also quickly globalizing. The combination of our international capabilities and CCL’s scale and local expertise reflects our shared commitment to providing clients with seamless, practical and commercial legal solutions in an increasingly complex world.’ Kanyi said. 

‘I am excited to be heading our Shenzhen office and to work closely with CCL on ensuring that this relationship is of value to each firm and to our clients.’