Big Law

KHQ Lawyers aligns with major Chinese firm

Melbourne-based boutique law firm KHQ Lawyers has entered an alliance with DeHeng Law Offices, one of China’s largest legal practices, in a move set to assist DeHeng’s entry into the Australian legal market.

July 02, 2025 • By Grace Robbie

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KHQ Lawyers has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with DeHeng Law Offices, a Chinese legal giant with over 5,000 legal professionals across 63 offices in 17 countries, including major international hubs such as New York, Paris, Dubai, and Tokyo.

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The alliance marks a key step in DeHeng’s plans to enter the Australian legal market, building on its already extensive international presence within Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.

As part of this arrangement, KHQ’s Melbourne office will also serve as DeHeng’s Melbourne office, with no separate offices established for either firm.

Described as a “significant coup” for the Australian boutique firm, KHQ Lawyers said in a statement that DeHeng Law offices selected them for the alliance over larger firms due to their “agility, relationship-driven service and top-tier capability”.

KHQ’s founder and managing director, David Kelly, described the partnership with DeHeng as a significant milestone in the firm’s international growth strategy and its commitment to delivering exceptional client service.

“We are pleased to develop formalised strategic ties with DeHeng Law Offices. The relationship enables us to offer our clients outstanding service and a gateway between Australia and China,” Kelly said.

“Clients will benefit from the combined expertise and world-class talent of both firms. For clients of both firms, this means one seamless, culturally fluent touch point across 20 practice areas. Whether clients are investing in Australia, expanding into China, or navigating complex cross-border deals, the alliance creates a bridge between east and west and genuine cross-cultural understanding.”

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DeHeng founder and chief global partner Dr Wang Li welcomed the partnership and praised KHQ’s model as an ideal fit for the Chinese firm’s international ambitions.

“DeHeng Law Offices is excited to form our alliance with KHQ Lawyers to enable both firms to achieve cross-border service and local expertise to our respective clients in both jurisdictions,” Li said.

“KHQ is a leading Australian firm, and its boutique top-tier model means that the firm and its expert lawyers are perfectly placed to partner with our firm in providing agile and high-calibre legal services to align with De Heng’s expansive international presence.”

The news follows Gilchrist Connell forming a partnership with international legal business DAC Beachcroft in May and Johnson Winter Slattery entering an alliance with TMI Associates, one of the biggest law firms in Japan, in mid-March.