King & Wood
An international commercial law firm originating in China and serving clients across major cross-border legal and regulatory matters.
Last updated October 12, 2026
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Overview
King & Wood is an international commercial law firm based in China. Its origins date to April 1993, when Wang Junfeng and other lawyers who had previously worked with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade established the firm during an early period of private-sector development in the modern Chinese legal profession. The firm became known for building an integrated national platform rather than expanding primarily through mergers with existing local practices. It opened offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen in 1995, Chengdu in 1998, and Guangzhou in 2002, followed by a second wave of domestic expansion that included Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Tianjin, Qingdao, Suzhou, Jinan and Hong Kong. The firm's development was supported by a distinctive management and partner-development model. It was an early Chinese law firm to use a lockstep-oriented partnership compensation system, with remuneration linked largely to seniority while allowing adjustments for individual performance. For new offices, Beijing-based partners were transferred to establish local practices, and locally recruited partners were expected to receive training at the Beijing headquarters. This approach was intended to create a common institutional culture and help the firm operate as a coordinated national organization. By 2000, King & Wood was regarded as one of Beijing's leading domestic law firms. Its work covers a broad range of business-law disciplines, including banking and finance, capital markets and securities, mergers and acquisitions, competition and trade regulation, dispute resolution, international arbitration, intellectual property, private equity and investment funds, tax, and telecommunications, media, entertainment and technology. The firm has historically advised both multinational companies entering or operating in China and Chinese companies pursuing international expansion. Its clients and mandates have included major financial institutions, industrial companies, retailers, state-linked enterprises and organizations involved in large public projects, although the firm does not constitute a single-sector specialist brand. King & Wood's international profile grew through a series of strategic combinations. In March 2012, following a partner vote in November 2011, it combined with Australian firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques to create King & Wood Mallesons, commonly abbreviated as KWM. The combination used a Swiss verein structure, preserving financially separate partnerships in mainland China, Australia and Hong Kong while presenting a common international brand. In 2013, KWM expanded again by combining with London-based SJ Berwin, a member of the United Kingdom's so-called Silver Circle. At its height, KWM was described as the largest international commercial law firm headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region. The Chinese and Australian partnerships later moved to end their combination. An announcement in December 2025 stated that the partnership would conclude on 31 March 2026 and that the Chinese and Australian businesses would return to the names King & Wood and Mallesons respectively. The rebranding occurred one day before the announced effective date. Following the separation, King & Wood retained a stated international footprint spanning China, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada and the United States, while Mallesons retained the former KWM offices in Australia and Singapore. The firm therefore combines a long-established Chinese legal-services identity with an international network shaped by its former KWM structure.
History
King & Wood was established in April 1993 by Wang Junfeng and other partners with backgrounds at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. Its creation followed the Chinese government's decision to permit private ownership of law firms and placed the firm among the early modern private law practices in the People's Republic of China. Wang later became the firm's Global Chairman and was credited with shaping its institutional development. From the outset, the firm sought to build a coordinated national practice. It became one of the first Chinese firms to adopt a lockstep-style partnership compensation system, under which seniority formed the principal basis of remuneration while performance-related adjustments remained possible. This structure was paired with an internal expansion method that emphasized transferring Beijing partners to establish new offices and training local partners at headquarters. Rather than relying mainly on the acquisition of existing firms, King & Wood attempted to reproduce its own management practices and culture across locations. The first expansion phase ran from 1995 to 2002. Offices were opened in Shanghai and Shenzhen in 1995, Chengdu in 1998 and Guangzhou in 2002. By 2000, the firm was considered one of Beijing's leading domestic practices. A later expansion phase, from 2006 to 2009, added offices in Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Tianjin, Qingdao, Suzhou, Jinan and Hong Kong. During this period, King & Wood developed a client base that included large domestic enterprises, financial institutions, multinational companies and organizations connected with major public projects, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Before its international combination, King & Wood maintained an alliance with Australian firm Gilbert + Tobin. Its larger international transformation began when its partners voted in November 2011 to combine with Mallesons Stephen Jaques. The combination took effect on 1 March 2012 and created King & Wood Mallesons. The new organization used a Swiss verein arrangement, allowing separate financial partnerships in mainland China, Australia and Hong Kong to operate under a unified international identity. The stated strategic aim included giving the Chinese partnership experience in managing a global firm and developing King & Wood into a worldwide brand rather than concentrating only on immediate profit maximization. In 2013, KWM combined with SJ Berwin, a London firm associated with the United Kingdom's Silver Circle. This gave the organization a wider European and international presence and helped make KWM one of the most prominent Asia-Pacific-based international commercial law firms. Its combined practice advised on corporate transactions, capital markets, banking, competition, regulation, intellectual property, tax, private equity, technology and disputes. The international structure was later unwound. In December 2025, the relevant partnerships announced that the Chinese and Australian businesses would end their association on 31 March 2026. The Chinese practice reverted to King & Wood, while the Australian practice returned to Mallesons. The rebranding took place one day earlier than the announced date. After the separation, King & Wood retained offices in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada and the United States, while Mallesons retained the former KWM offices in Australia and Singapore. The resulting King & Wood identity therefore represents both the firm's original Chinese legal-services platform and the continuing international footprint developed during the KWM period.
- 2026
King & Wood brand is restored
[1]The Chinese business resumes the King & Wood name and continues with an international office network.
- 2025
Separation from the Australian partnership is announced
[1]The Chinese and Australian partnerships announce that their association will end and that their historical brands will return.
- 2013
SJ Berwin joins KWM
[1]KWM expands its international platform through a combination with London-based SJ Berwin.
- 2012
King & Wood Mallesons is formed
[1]The combination with Mallesons Stephen Jaques takes effect on 1 March under a Swiss verein structure.
- 2011
Partners vote for combination with Mallesons Stephen Jaques
[1]King & Wood partners approve the transaction that will create King & Wood Mallesons.
- 2002
Guangzhou office opens
[1]The first phase of major domestic expansion reaches Guangzhou.
- 2000
Recognized among Beijing's leading domestic firms
[1]By this point, King & Wood is described as one of Beijing's Big Four domestic law firms.
- 1998
Chengdu office opens
[1]King & Wood continues its domestic expansion with a new office in Chengdu.
- 1995
First offices outside Beijing open
[1]The firm expands to Shanghai and Shenzhen using an integrated office-development model.
- 1993
King & Wood is founded in Beijing
[1]Wang Junfeng and other former CCPIT-associated lawyers establish the firm during the early development of privately owned law firms in modern China.
Products and positioning
A full-service Chinese-origin international law firm focused on complex corporate, regulatory, transactional and dispute matters, particularly those involving cross-border activity.
Legal services
Corporate and mergers & acquisitions
Advice for corporate structuring, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, investments and other strategic transactions. The practice is particularly relevant to Chinese companies expanding overseas and multinational businesses investing in or operating in China.
Legal services
Banking, finance and capital markets
Legal advice for lending, banking operations, structured finance, securities offerings and capital-markets transactions. The work covers both domestic Chinese matters and cross-border financings involving financial institutions, companies and investors.
Legal services
Dispute resolution and international arbitration
Representation and strategic advice in commercial disputes, international arbitration and related proceedings. This offering supports clients facing complex, multi-jurisdictional disagreements and regulatory or contractual disputes.
Legal services
Competition, trade and regulation
Advice on competition law, trade controls, market regulation and other government-facing legal requirements. The practice reflects the firm's focus on Chinese regulatory issues and on cross-border business activity.
Legal services
Intellectual property
Counsel concerning intellectual-property rights, protection, commercialization and disputes. The service forms part of the firm's broader support for technology, media, entertainment and other knowledge-intensive industries.
Legal services
Private equity, investment funds and tax
Transactional and regulatory advice for private-equity sponsors, investment funds, portfolio companies and investors, together with tax planning and transaction support. These services complement the firm's corporate, finance and investment practices.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2025
End the Chinese-Australian KWM partnershipStrategyBackground
The Chinese and Australian partnerships decided to end their association and restore their historical brands.
Action taken
The parties announced that the partnership would conclude on 31 March 2026, with the Chinese practice becoming King & Wood and the Australian practice becoming Mallesons.
Aftermath
King & Wood retained offices in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada and the United States, while Mallesons retained the former KWM offices in Australia and Singapore.
2013
Combine with SJ BerwinM&ABackground
KWM pursued a broader international footprint after its combination with Mallesons.
Action taken
KWM combined with London-based SJ Berwin, extending the firm's presence into the United Kingdom and Europe.
Aftermath
KWM became one of the most prominent international commercial law firms headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region.
2012
Combine with Mallesons Stephen JaquesM&ABackground
King & Wood sought to build a global legal brand and gain experience operating an international platform.
Action taken
The partners approved and completed a combination with Mallesons Stephen Jaques on 1 March 2012, creating King & Wood Mallesons through a Swiss verein structure.
Aftermath
The combination created an Asia-Pacific-based international commercial law firm with separate financially independent partnerships in mainland China, Australia and Hong Kong.
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