The Chinese and Australian partnerships of King & Wood Mallesons have agreed to formally separate, just 14 years after joining forces to create “a firm for ‘The Asian Century’”.
In late 2011, Australia's Mallesons Stephen Jaques merged with China-based international firm King & Wood to create the combined firm King & Wood Mallesons, which came into effect in March of the following year.
Now, a mere 14 years later, the combined entity’s Chinese and Australian partnerships have decided to part ways and will operate as ‘King & Wood’ and ‘Mallesons’ respectively, under independent brands.
The separation will take effect from 31 March 2026.
The news bucks the recent trend of expansion from global law firms with an Australian presence: last month, Ashurst and US-headquartered BigLaw practice Perkins Coie made public the entities’ plans to combine into a top-20 global law firm; in June, the merger between Herbert Smith Freehills and another US firm, Kramer Levin, went live; and in mid-2024, the merger between Allen & Overy and Shearman & Stirling (now A&O Shearman) was finalised.
The separation of the firms, KWM global chairman Wang Junfeng said, reflects their different strategic priorities.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
KWM Australia chief executive partner Renae Lattey added: “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,” she said.
Both firms have confirmed that all client work will continue on a business-as-usual basis, and that joint matters will not be affected.
Further, the firms will “coordinate to ensure a smooth transition”, with no disruption to clients or impact to local leadership, governance and operations.
“The firms look forward to working together in the future on a non-exclusive basis,” the firms’ joint statement read.
Speaking to Lawyers Weekly at the time of the 2011 merger, Stuart Fuller (who was then the head of Mallesons) said that the merger “creates a firm for 'The Asian Century'”.
“Both firms shared a common vision and that was to create a global law firm that was uniquely centred in Asia – a vision to genuinely differentiate the firm, but to have a broader capability for clients. Therefore, we needed to take this first step,” he said.
“Where that goes is a matter for the management committee or the partners of the firm, but in a sense, as a regional powerhouse firm – our common vision around being a global law firm centred in Asia – that would of itself suggest that it's a first step.”
Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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