User:Eionm/Lehman, Lee & Xu

Lehman, Lee & Xu is a prominent Chinese law firm, established in 1992 by Edward Lehman, Jason Lee, and Jia Xu. Its headquarters are located in Beijing.

History
Its managing director, Edward Lehman, came to China from the United States in 1987 to work for an international commercial law firm, first in Shanghai and later also in Beijing. Following the events of June 4, 1989, foreign law firms retreated from mainland China and, fearing an inability to guarantee the safety of their employees, pulled their operations and associated international staff back to jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, which they perceived as less risky.

Mr. Lehman was the only foreign attorney who chose to remain behind, and continued practicing law - albeit in a Chinese state-run law firm. With the development of the legal market in China, liberalization of the economy, and the reintroduction of private law firms to the country, in 1992 Mr. Lehman and his partners struck out on their own and founded the firm. Lehman, Lee & Xu was the eighth private law firm to be founded in the People's Republic of China, and its American management and firm culture mark it as unique amongst local Chinese law firms. It competes with other major Chinese law firms such as King & Wood, Jun He Law Offices and Fangda Partners, as well as multinational law firms with representative offices in mainland China.

Practice Areas
While the firm initially focused on foreign direct investment and intellectual property, during the late 1990s as China's economy grew and became more sophisticated, so too did the legal market. Over time, the firm has diversified into all areas of corporate and commercial law, not to mention breaking ground into less traditional areas such as mass tort.

Offices
The firm has major offices in the following cities:
 * Beijing, China
 * Shanghai, China
 * Shenzhen, China
 * Guangzhou, China
 * Hong Kong, SAR, China
 * Macau, SAR, China
 * Ulan Bator, Outer Mongolia
 * Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (liaison office)

The firm has partner offices in a further twenty-two cities in mainland China.

Clients
Lehman, Lee & Xu has represented international clients such as Aventis, Novartis, Sony and Columbia Pictures, International Paper, General Motors, and the Embassy of the United States in Beijing. In addition, its Chinese clients include the Bank of China, Lenovo Group, Haier, Hisense, Tsingtao Beer, Sina, and Perfect World.