Global Law Offices

What Global Law Offices does

Global Law Offices (GLO, 北京市环球律师事务所) is a large full-service law firm headquartered in Beijing, founded in 1979 (with company history showing 1980 founding) and operating as a private partnership under Chinese law. The firm maintains five offices across China (Beijing HQ, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Suzhou) and serves large domestic enterprises, multinational corporations, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), financial institutions, and life sciences and healthcare companies. Its core offerings span more than 20 practice areas, including capital markets (IPOs, debt and equity offerings, asset securitization), M&A, private equity and investment funds, dispute resolution (litigation and arbitration), life sciences and healthcare, intellectual property, debt restructuring and bankruptcy, compliance, ESG, outbound investment, and cross-border advisory.

The firm has built a track record of "China first" precedent transactions, including the first overseas N-share listing on NYSE (1992, Huachen Automotive), the first cross-border share swap (2009, Tianjin Port), the first red-chip A-share direct listing via the Sci-Tech Innovation Board (2019, Huarun Microelectronics), and the first simultaneous dual-listing on HKEX and the Astana International Exchange (2025, Jiaxin International Resources). It does not operate proprietary technology platforms; it relies on standard legal practice management systems and third-party tools (MikeCRM, Wenjuan) for client engagement and newsletter distribution, and publishes multilingual legal research (Chinese, English, Japanese) as a thought-leadership-driven go-to-market motion.

Global Law Offices generates revenue on a fee-for-service basis, billing clients engagement by engagement across domestic and cross-border mandates. It holds Band 1 rankings in Chambers Global across Capital Markets (Debt & Equity, Securitization & Derivatives) and Dispute Resolution (International & Cross-Border), Tier 1 rankings in Legal 500 Capital Markets, and consistent recognition from LEGALBAND, IFLR1000, ALB, and asialaw. Notable clients include China Construction Bank, Bank of China Hong Kong, Daimler AG, Siemens Healthineers, BeiGene, ChemChina, Zoomlion, Huarun Pharmaceutical, New Frontier/United Family Healthcare, and the New Development Bank. The firm is led by Managing Partner Liu Jinrong (joined 2002), who has led over 150 capital markets offerings and 2,500+ cross-border M&A transactions; it operates as a partnership without a disclosed parent company or external investor.

Name

Global Law Offices

Legal name

北京市环球律师事务所

Website

https://glo.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Global Law Offices (GLO) is a Beijing-headquartered, 40+ year-old full-service Chinese law firm with five domestic offices, advising large enterprises, SOEs, financial institutions, and life sciences companies on capital markets, M&A, PE/VC, dispute resolution, and cross-border transactions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Legal advisory services
• Capital markets law
• Cross-border M&A
• Dispute resolution law
• Life sciences legal

Headquarters

HQ city

Chaoyang

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: The firm provides full-service legal counsel across capital markets, M&A, PE/VC, dispute resolution, life sciences & healthcare, compliance, outbound investment, and other practice areas, billing primarily on a fee-for-service basis for each engagement. Revenue is generated from recurring and one-off mandates across domestic and cross-border transactions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Global Law Offices is a China-based full-service law firm providing partner-led legal counsel to enterprises, state-owned enterprises, financial institutions and multinational corporations. Its core offerings span Capital Markets (IPOs, bond issuances, asset securitization), Corporate/M&A, Private Equity & Investment Funds, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Compliance & Risk Control, and Cross-border Investment. Revenue is generated on a fee-for-service basis negotiated per engagement.

Product overview

Global Law Offices (环球律师事务所) is a large comprehensive law firm in China offering full-service legal counsel across diverse practice areas. The firm's service portfolio encompasses Capital Markets (equity/debt offerings, asset securitization), Corporate/M&A, Private Equity & Investment Funds, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Dispute Resolution (litigation and arbitration), Debt Restructuring & Bankruptcy, Intellectual Property, Compliance & Risk Control, and Cross-border Investment. The firm also publishes legal research publications including sector-specific newsletters (Life Sciences & Healthcare, Labor Law, Antitrust, Data Compliance, Japan Business China Law Reports) and periodic reports. These practice areas function as distinct service lines rather than separate software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Capital Markets Legal Services Legal advisory for equity offerings (IPO on HKEX, NYSE, NASDAQ, SSE, SZSE, STAR Market/KeChuang Board), debt offerings (corporate bonds, Panda bonds, ESG bonds, Dim Sum bonds, green/blue bonds, ABS, structured finance), and securitization transactions for issuers and underwriters.
• Corporate M&A Legal Services Legal advisory for domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, joint ventures, restructurings, share swaps, and corporate governance matters for buyers, sellers and targets.
• Private Equity & Investment Funds Legal Services Legal advisory for PE/VC fund formation, fundraising, investments, exits, and portfolio company matters including onshore and offshore fund structures.
• Life Sciences & Healthcare Legal Services Legal counsel for pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and healthcare service clients covering drug R&D, clinical trials, regulatory approvals, hospital M&A, and cross-border commercialization. Market-leading practice recognized with multiple Healthcare & Life Sciences Firm of the Year awards.
• Dispute Resolution Legal Services Litigation and arbitration services for commercial, financial, securities, and cross-border disputes; team of 40+ partners and 70+ lawyers serving banking, insurance, construction, energy, finance, IT, media, mining, healthcare, real estate, TMT, maritime, transport and logistics sectors.
• Debt Restructuring & Bankruptcy Legal Services Legal advisory for distressed debt restructuring, corporate bankruptcy and reorganization proceedings, and creditor/debtor rights protection (e.g., HNA Group restructuring named China Business Law Journal 2021 Deal of the Year).
• Intellectual Property Legal Services Legal services for IP protection, patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, and IP litigation, including US patent case reviews published by the firm.
• Compliance & Risk Control Legal Services Legal advisory on corporate compliance, anti-monopoly/competition law, data compliance, anti-bribery management systems (e.g., ISO 37001), labor law, and regulatory risk management.
• Cross-border Investment Legal Services Legal advisory for outbound Chinese investment and inbound foreign investment in China, including cross-border share swaps, dual listings, and Belt & Road-related transactions.
• Banking & Finance Legal Services Legal counsel for banks, asset management companies, insurance companies, trust companies, and financial holding companies on lending, financing, regulatory matters, and securities issuance.
• Tax Legal Services Legal advisory on domestic and cross-border tax planning, tax controversy, and tax-efficient structuring for transactions.

Quantifiable outcome

• First overseas N-share listing on NYSE (1992); first cross-border share swap M&A (2009); first red-chip A-share direct listing on Sci-Tech Innovation Board (2019); first dual HKEX-Astana exchange listing (2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Chambers and PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm has been exclusively commissioned by Chambers and Partners for nine consecutive years (since 2016) to draft the China chapter of Chambers Global Practice Guide: Life Sciences, and has also been commissioned to write the White-Collar Crime chapter. This exclusive authoring arrangement is a significant endorsement and strategic partnership, providing the firm with prominent international visibility.
• The Legal 500coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm has been invited by The Legal 500 for five consecutive years (2020-2024) to exclusively contribute the China Private Equity chapter, demonstrating a similar exclusive content partnership as with Chambers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• King & Wood Mallesons (KWM): King & Wood Mallesons is the largest Asia-based international law firm and GLO's closest competitor in China's capital markets, M&A, and dispute resolution. Both firms serve the same SOE, financial institution, and multinational client base and compete head-to-head on PRC regulatory and cross-border mandates.
• Zhonglun Law Firm: Zhonglun is one of China's largest full-service law firms, with comparable Band 1 rankings in capital markets, M&A, and dispute resolution. Both firms compete for top-tier Chinese corporate and cross-border mandates and serve similar SOE and financial institution clients.
• JunHe LLP: JunHe is a top-tier Chinese law firm with strong capital markets, M&A, and dispute resolution practices. It directly competes with GLO on HKEX IPOs, A-share listings, and cross-border M&A mandates for Chinese enterprises and multinational clients.
• Fangda Partners: Fangda is a leading Chinese law firm recognized for cross-border M&A, capital markets, and antitrust work. It serves a similar multinational and large-cap Chinese client base as GLO and competes on complex, precedent-setting transactions.
• Han Kun Law Offices: Han Kun is a top-tier Chinese law firm particularly strong in capital markets, private equity, and life sciences/healthcare. It directly competes with GLO on HKEX IPOs, A-share listings, and biotech/healthcare mandates.
• AllBright Law Offices: AllBright is one of China's largest full-service law firms with comparable practice breadth in capital markets, M&A, and dispute resolution. It is a direct peer competing for similar PRC corporate and cross-border mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Latham & Watkins: Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with a strong China practice competing for cross-border M&A, capital markets, and PE mandates involving Chinese clients. It represents foreign investors and multinationals on inbound China transactions, overlapping with GLO's client base.
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom: Skadden is a leading US law firm with significant China M&A and capital markets practice. It competes with GLO on US listings, cross-border M&A, and inbound/outbound deals involving Chinese and multinational clients.
• Linklaters: Linklaters is a Magic Circle firm with a strong China practice, competing with GLO on cross-border M&A, capital markets, and inbound mandates for multinationals operating in China.
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: Freshfields is a Magic Circle firm expanding its China platform, competing with GLO on cross-border M&A, antitrust, and capital markets mandates for Chinese and multinational clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Law Offices