Shanghai district develops dual-engine legal service model for intl business

Shanghai's Minhang district is leveraging its northern and southern zones to construct a dual-engine development model, aiming to enhance international, digital, and comprehensive legal services for foreign-related matters.

All these efforts are intended to bolster the district's legal infrastructure, laying a solid legal foundation for Shanghai's development as a global city for international economy, finance, trade, shipping, and scientific innovation, as well as the integration of the Yangtze River Delta region, and the cross-border expansion of enterprises.

This was highlighted recently by experts during an interview on foreign-related legal construction organized by the Ministry of Justice in Shanghai.

The northern Hongqiao International Central Business District focuses on attracting high-end foreign-related legal service institutions, aiming to become a hub for legal services that cater to the Yangtze River Delta region and even the entire nation.

And the southern Grand Neobay Scientific and Technological Innovation Source Functional Zone is aligning with strategic industries, such as biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and high-end equipment, to build a specialized legal ecosystem. This ecosystem is designed to meet the cross-border compliance and overseas intellectual property protection needs of innovative enterprises.

Official data from the district showed that high-end legal service resources are rapidly gathering in the area. The district currently hosts 38 foreign-related law firms and approximately 130 foreign-related lawyers, along with two notary public offices qualified to provide foreign-related services.

The Hongqiao International Central Legal-Services District continues to attract top-tier law firms and comprehensive legal service institutions, with nearly 190 legal and supporting institutions now established, marking an 11 percent growth year-on-year.

Several law firms in Minhang have joined alliances, such as the enterprise overseas service alliance and the Hongqiao investment, mergers, and acquisitions alliance. Such firms are encouraged to set up service stations overseas, collaborating with foreign law firms to build a global legal service network.

The Hongqiao International Central Legal-Services District integrates resources from lawyers, notary public offices arbitration institutions, commercial mediation bodies and other entities, forming a complete foreign-related service chain covering the entire life cycle of enterprises.