Zhejiang province’s first Chinese mainland-Hong Kong-Macau joint law has begun operations in Hangzhou. The firm was jointly set up by Zhejiang-based L&H Law Firm, Patrick Mak & Tse Solicitors of Hong Kong and Vong Hin Fai Lawyers & Private Notary of Macau.
Shen Jiaying, L&H’s managing partner, heads the joint law firm. “As one of the core cities in the Yangtze River Delta, Hangzhou has a vibrant private sector and frequent cross-border trade and investment. There is strong demand both from companies expanding overseas and for bringing overseas resources into China,” she told China Business Law Journal.
The policy groundwork for the joint firm dates back to 2019, when the Ministry of Justice extended nationwide arrangements allowing Chinese mainland law firms to form partnership associations with their Hong Kong and Macau peers.
The Zhejiang Provincial Department of Justice subsequently issued implementation measures in 2020, allowing Zhejiang law firms to establish partnership associations with Hong Kong and Macau peers in the province.
In 2021, the Ministry of Justice included Hangzhou in a pilot programme for deepening innovation in trade in services, requiring Zhejiang to formulate implementation measures modelled on those of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.
During a visit to Zhejiang in March 2026, Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Paul Lam also expressed support for closer ties between the two jurisdictions’ legal sectors through law firm associations and talent exchanges.
“Establishing the joint firm in Hangzhou allows us to further leverage L&H’s local service strengths in Zhejiang, connect with legal service resources in Hong Kong and Macau, and extend our reach across Zhejiang and the wider Yangtze River Delta. It also provides mainland companies with a more stable and convenient channel for accessing legal services in Hong Kong, Macau and other overseas markets,” said Shen.
Shen is qualified to practise law in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, and has passed the New York State Bar Examination. She has extensive experience in cross-border investment and financing, international trade, corporate governance and compliance management.
The joint law firm focuses on cross-border investment and financing, international trade, outbound compliance, cross-border dispute resolution and international arbitration, overseas capital markets and cross-border wealth succession. It covers industries including artificial intelligence, biomedicine and life sciences, embodied intelligence and robotics, the low-altitude economy, semiconductors and integrated circuits, new energy and new forms of energy storage.
L&H specialises in corporate, investment and financing matters. Headquartered in Hangzhou, it has offices in Ningbo and Wenzhou, among other locations, as well as overseas offices in Silicon Valley, New York and Vancouver. Patrick Mak & Tse Solicitors has longstanding experience in the Hong Kong market, with a focus on corporate finance and international dispute resolution. Vong Hin Fai Lawyers & Private Notary’s practice spans Macau law, legal services involving Portuguese-speaking jurisdictions and international arbitration.
Shen said: “The joint firm will draw fully on L&H’s deep local roots and the cross-border expertise of our Hong Kong and Macau partners. By combining practical experience across the different legal systems of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, we aim to further strengthen our integrated cross-border legal service capabilities.”
There are similar precedents outside Zhejiang for this association model, involving Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau firms. In 2016, Zhong Yin Law Firm, Macau firm Lektou and Hong Kong’s CCW Lawyers established ZLC Law Office, China’s first joint law firm involving firms from all three jurisdictions, with offices opening in Hengqin and Qianhai.
Kingbridge Sun Kuong Law Firm and DHH KAN & LL Law Firm were established in 2020, becoming the first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau joint law firms in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, respectively.
