Yingke Law Firm, the world’s largest law firm by lawyer number, has officially opened its new office in London. This expansion marks a significant milestone in Yingke’s ongoing global growth and strengthens its presence in one of the world’s most influential legal markets.

Yingke London’s grand opening ceremony took place on 23 September 2024 in the historic Common Room of The Law Society Hall, located in the heart of London. The Law Society of England & Wales is one of the UK's oldest and most prestigious legal institutions. The venue provided a fitting backdrop for this important occasion, honouring the significance of Yingke’s entry into the London legal market.

The event was attended by over 100 distinguished guests, including senior partners, legal professionals, business leaders, key clients, and the Law Society of England and Wales officials. The lively evening featured a traditional Lion Dance, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the official unveiling of the plaques for the London centre of Yingke Global One-Hour Legal service ecosystem.

During the ceremony, Linda Yang, founding partner of Yingke International, delivered an inspiring speech, outlining the importance of London as a strategic location for the firm’s continued international expansion. Mr Li Peng, counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, also addressed the audience, highlighting the value Yingke brings to the UK’s legal market and its role in facilitating business and trade links between the UK and China.  

Nick Emmerson, the president of The Law Society of England & Wales, congratulated Yingke on its expansion to London, referring the move as a “cause for celebration”. He said that of the legal services industry contributed £60bn to the UK economy, and over half of that came from international firms. 

Vicky He, an executive director of Yingke’s global board and head of global business department, gave a presentation on Yingke’s fast-growing global network and the Yingke Global One-Hour Legal Service Ecosystem, which forms the core part of Yingke’s new global strategy. 

She said that Yingke currently has 10 offices in Europe, including London, Germany, Paris, Milan, Rome, Madrid, and Hungary. The goal is to have 15 offices by 2026, and it is  in the process of adding a Munich office soon. 

In total, the firm has already established 53 directly-operated offices in 41 countries around the world and has set a target of 100 by 2026.

“Currently, Yingke has more than 1.4 million company clients. An increasing number of Chinese companies are going overseas and starting to explore the market of 8 billion people worldwide. Some leading companies in many industries are going overseas together with their supply chains partners and investing and building factories in many countries. So, businesses not only need expert lawyers but also need lawyers with platforms that understand the industry with commercial mindset,” said He.

“They are looking for a law firm that can provide global solutions in different countries, be familiar with their work habits, understand their cultures, be able to communicate in Chinese, and provide high-quality legal services in their respective countries. There are not many law firms that can meet these conditions at the same time. Thus, clients find that Yingke has become their best and even the only choice,” she added.

A panel discussion on the “Challenges and Opportunities for Foreign Law Firms in London” provided further insight into the firm’s vision. The panel, featuring four leading industry experts, explored the competitive and regulatory landscape of the UK legal market and how foreign firms, like Yingke, can thrive in this dynamic environment.

The ceremony concluded with closing remarks delivered by Yingke London managing partner Shu Qi. 

The new Yingke London office is located at 1 King William Street, at the heart of the City of London. It will allow the firm to better serve its clients in the UK and beyond. Yingke’s London office will focus on offering comprehensive legal services, including international business law, dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance, to both local and international clients.
 

About Yingke London Law Firm
Founded in 2001, Beijing-headquartered Yingke Law Firm has grown into the largest law firms in the world by number of lawyers. 
The firm has 121 branches across mainland China with a total of 17,000 lawyers and one joint law firm in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region. So far, Yingke’s global legal service network has covered up to 195 cities across 103 countries and territories. It consists of the 53 directly-operated office across 41 countries, and a vast number of overseas cooperative law firms that covers 172 cities and 92 countries.

During the past 20 years, Yingke has provided legal services to more than 2.58 million clients worldwide, including 1.44 million domestic and foreign corporate clients.

For more information about Yingke London and its services, please visit https://www.yingkelondon.co.uk/ 

or contact:
Media Contact:
Yun Kriegler
07584661128
Yun.kriegler@yingkelondon.co.uk