After acting as Clifford Chance’s co-managing partner in China for seven years, Tim Wang will be promoted to chair of the China practice when his term ends on 30 April, while Terence Foo will revert to partner.
Partner Shi Lei will take over the role of managing partner at the Beijing and Shanghai offices on 1 May.
Connie Heng, the Asia-Pacific regional managing partner, said the firm would benefit from Wang and Shi’s legal professions “as we navigate the current business environment and advance our regional priorities”.
Shi, who has been with Clifford Chance for 14 years and became a partner in 2019, has worked at the firm’s Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York offices.
The new managing partner specialises in dispute resolution. He has extensive knowledge in handling various cases involving Chinese companies, particularly under the arbitration rules of different jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, the PRC, Singapore, and London.
Shi is also experienced in regulatory compliance and investigation. He has dealt with cases on commercial litigation, anti-money laundering, sanctions and export control.
His predecessor, Wang, mainly practises in the cross-border M&A and capital markets sectors. Wang specialises in advising large-scale Chinese companies on their outbound investments and overseas listings.
Last year, China Business Law Journal selected Wang among the lawyers named Visionaries in the A-List 2023-24.
