在香港分所开业满三年后，金杜律师事务所已于近日完成与其香港联营伙伴夏佳理方和吴正和律师事务所的合并。通过合并，金杜成为首家获准在香港同时提供香港法和中国法法律服务的中国内地律师事务所。

夏佳理方和吴正的13位合伙人以及45位律师和员工已经正式整合并入金杜，同时金杜北京和上海办公室的几位公司，证券和金融业务合伙人也将被调派到香港成为常驻合伙人。

The execution of King & Wood's strategy to obtain the right to practice Hong Kong law began in April 2006, when the firm opened its Hong Kong office and established its association with Hong Kong firm Arculli Fong & Ng. Now, the mainland powerhouse has finally announced the completion of the merger with Arculli Fong & Ng.

As a result of the merger, all 13 partners and 45 legal professionals at Arculli Fong & Ng will be fully integrated into King & Wood, and a number of corporate, securities and finance partners from the firm's Beijing and Shanghai offices will become residents of Hong Kong.

The merger allows King & Wood to become the first PRC firm to offer dual capability (Hong Kong/PRC law) for its clients. French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel and US firm Hogan & Hartson are two other firms that have completed the localisation process in recent months, allowing them to practise Hong Kong law.

It is likely that King & Wood's merger will pave they way for other PRC firms to follow in its footsteps. The most likely contenders are Jun He, Grandall and Duan & Duan, both of which have been associated with a Hong Kong firm for at least one year.