We may have just celebrated Valentine’s Day, but this Biglaw firm is sparing no love for its Beijing office. That’s right, yet another Biglaw firm is shutting down an office in China. This is the third large law firm to close the doors of a Chinese office in 2025.
As noted by Bloomberg Law, Cleary Gottlieb — a firm that brought in $1,491,568,000 gross revenue in 2023, putting it at No. 32 on the most recent Am Law 100 — plans to shut down its Beijing office. Cleary now becomes the 17th U.S. firm to shutter an office in mainland China since the exodus began in 2024. Here are some additional details:
“In July 2025, Cleary Gottlieb will merge our Beijing operations with Hong Kong, closing the Beijing office and consolidating our Greater China presence into Hong Kong,” the firm said in a statement. “We continue our commitment to serving clients in the region and believe this decision will allow us to do so more efficiently.”
Per the American Lawyer, the closure of the firm’s Beijing office leaves Cleary with two Asia offices — one in Hong Kong, and one in Seoul.
Which Biglaw firm will be the next say zàijiàn to its offices in China? You can email us or text us (646-820-8477) if you have any intel. Thank you.
Cleary Gottlieb Set to Leave China as Big Law Exodus Continues [Bloomberg Law]
Cleary Becomes Latest US Firm to Shutter Mainland China Offices [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
