Martijn Snoep, managing partner: "By opening an office in Shanghai we are responding to our clients' growing demand for assistance in their business abroad, in particular in their mergers and acquisitions. Our office in Shanghai will be adjacent to the office of our German Best Friend law firm Hengeler Mueller". De Brauw and its Best Friend law firms Uriá Menéndez from Spain and Portugal and Slaughter and May from the UK already share offices in Beijing. The Best Friends network is a European network of renowned law firms, all leaders in their home markets. De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek's Shanghai office will be headed by M&A partner Gaby Smeenk. Gaby specialises in corporate law, and her recent work includes acting as lead counsel in M&A transactions with a strong Asian component, such as advising Philips on the TV joint venture with Chinese company TPV and Rabobank on the divestment of asset manager Robeco to Japanese buyer ORIX. Click here to read the press release. Click here to read the article by The Lawyer.