Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
This development reflects the different strategic horizons of our firms. We thank the Australian firm for the years of teamwork and partnership. We sincerely appreciate the long-term support and trust shown by our clients. We will continue to put clients first while striving for excellence in everything we do. We remain committed to our international strategy and will continue to expand our geographic coverage through both organic growth and collaboration with other leading firms globally. King & Wood’s Hong Kong office, the largest law firm in Hong Kong by number of lawyers, will continue to take on a strategic role in this effort. -WJ
We thank the partners and colleagues of KWM China for their professionalism, collegiality and friendship over the past 14 years. Mallesons is a trusted and respected brand with nearly two centuries of legal excellence and 50 years of international experience and relationships. We will continue to build on this proud legacy as we become the only top tier independent firm operating from Australia with the flexibility to collaborate more broadly with global elite firms to meet the needs of our clients and our people here, across the region and around the globe. -RL
— Statements issued by King & Wood Mallesons leaders Wang Junfeng, Global Chairman, and Renae Lattey, Chief Executive Partner, Australia, concerning the decision to split up and revert back to being separate firms, as of March 31, 2026. King & Wood and Mallesons merged in 2012, and now they’ve agreed to formally separate. King & Wood will control the firm’s offices in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, and the U.S. A former partner at the firm said the separate will end “a decade and a half of strategic drift” for the firm.
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