How Law Firms are cracking the China Code

Freshfields, Norton Rose Fulbright, and Clifford Chance are all doubling down on a strategy that’s flying under the radar but turning heads: entering Joint Operations (JOs) with Chinese firms.

These aren’t full-blown mergers. Instead, they’re a clever workaround—foreign and Chinese firms join forces on paper to pitch for cross-border work, combining their capabilities while staying technically separate. Think of it as a legal ‘situationship’: close collaboration without the financial entanglement.

• What’s a Joint Operation? Foreign firms aren’t allowed to practise Chinese law. But in designated free trade zones, JOs offer a legal loophole: a way for international and local firms to deliver PRC and foreign law advice as one package. It’s similar to Singapore’s “Formal Law Alliance” model, but with stricter geographic limitations.