Lehman, Lee & Xu

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Lehman, Lee & Xu is a prominent Chinese law firm, established in 1992 by Edward Lehman, Jason Lee, and Xu Jia Li. Its headquarters are located in Beijing.

History

Its managing director, Edward Lehman, is an attorney who came to China from the United States in 1987 to work for the representative office of American law firm Lord Bissell & Brook, first in Shanghai and later also in Beijing. Following the events of June 4, 1989, foreign law firms retreated from mainland China and, fearing an inability to guarantee the safety of their employees, pulled their operations and associated international staff back to jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, which they perceived as less risky.

Lehman, Lee & Xu's opening day. Clockwise from top-left: Jason Li; Edward Lehman; Jun Li; Xu Jia Li

Mr. Lehman was the only foreign attorney who chose to remain behind, and continued practicing law - albeit in a Chinese state-run law firm. With the development of the legal market in China, liberalization of the economy, and the reintroduction of private law firms to the country, in 1992 Mr. Lehman and his partners struck out on their own and founded the firm. Lehman, Lee & Xu was the eighth private law firm to be founded in the People's Republic of China,, and the first to be managed by a foreign national. As of 2008, Edward Lehman is the longest-serving managing director of any Chinese law firm.

Lehman, Lee & Xu's American management and firm culture mark it as unique amongst local Chinese law firms. It competes with other major Chinese law firms such as King & Wood, Jun He Law Offices and Fangda Partners, as well as with international law firms with representative offices in mainland China.

Practice Areas

While the firm initially focused on foreign direct investment and intellectual property, during the late 1990s as China's economy grew and became more sophisticated, so too did the legal market. Over time, while maintaining and building upon its traditional strengths, the firm has diversified into all areas of corporate and commercial law, not to mention breaking ground into less traditional areas such as mass tort and personal injury.

Offices

The firm has major offices in the following cities:

  • Beijing, China
  • Shanghai, China
  • Shenzhen, China
  • Guangzhou, China
  • Hong Kong, SAR, China
  • Macau, SAR, China
  • Ulan Bator, Outer Mongolia
  • Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (liaison office)

The firm has partner offices in a further twenty-two cities across mainland China.

Clients

Lehman, Lee & Xu has represented international clients such as: Aventis; Novartis; Shell Oil; Petronas; Nokia; Motorola; Microsoft; Oracle Corporation; Sony and Columbia Pictures; News Corporation; the Motion Picture Association of America; Air France; KLM; United Airlines; Alitalia; International Paper; General Motors; UBS; Barclays Bank; Euroclear; Maybank; the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank; the Embassy of the United States in Beijing; and the United States Chamber of Commerce in China.

In addition, its Chinese clients include: the Bank of China; the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China; Pudong Development Bank; China Daily; Lenovo Group; Haier; Hisense; Tsingtao Beer; Sina.com; Sohu; Perfect World; Peking University; and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China.

See also

  • Chinese Law
  • Legal History of China