Law.com - Nixon Peabody Goes to China

Law.com - Nixon Peabody Goes to China
Opening an office in Shanghai is a big step from opening an office in London, Nixon Peabody's first foreign office, but the competition in China should be a lot less severe than in London. With fourteen lawyers involved in a China practice, Nixon Peabody, has a reasonable core competency to have a meaningful China practice. However, it will need to staff up Shanghai with more than two rotating lawyers to make that office a real functioning office rather than a letterhead entry. Nixon Peabody was once perceived as an Upstate New York firm. Today, it has branched out considerably, even though its roots remain in Upstate New York. It will be interesting to see if the firm addresses other areas of China. Shanghai is an important city in China, but China has many cities, and the risks could be even lower and the rewards higher in second and third tier emerging cities than in the older, more established cities.