Cuatrecasas closes Beijing office
Cuatrecasas has confirmed Iberian Lawyer that it has closed its office in Beijing and is now concentrating its China operations entirely in Shanghai. The news first appeared as a rumor on Law.com International on 25 June 2025. Contacted by Iberian Lawyer the law firm confirmed the move and declared: “We continue to operate in China. In 2024 we concentrated our presence in Shanghai (the country’s largest city and one of the world’s most important financial centres)”.
The Beijing office
The move represents a shift rather than a retreat, as the firm appears to be consolidating its resources in Shanghai—its longstanding hub in China since 2007. The Beijing office, opened in 2010, played a role during a period of growing Sino-Iberian commercial ties, but evolving market conditions may have prompted a reassessment of its strategic value.
This echos broader trends across the legal sector, with several international firms streamlining their presence in mainland China amid regulatory challenges and rising competition from domestic players.
The Shanghai office
Shanghai continues to operate and remains a key node for Cuatrecasas’ cross-border work. It supports a range of legal services for Spanish and Portuguese clients investing in the region, especially in corporate, M&A, infrastructure, and energy. The team there works closely with the broader Cuatrecasas network.
Global strategy
Cuatrecasas’ core business remains deeply anchored in Spain and Portugal. Internationally, the firm is present in key financial and commercial centres, including New York, London, São Paulo, Mexico City, Bogotá, Casablanca, and several European capitals. Its international growth has historically favoured jurisdictions with strong linguistic, cultural, or economic ties to the Iberian Peninsula—particularly Latin America and Lusophone Africa.
In an exclusive interview with Iberian Lawyer published in May 2024 (link here), managing partner Javier Fontcuberta confirmed that international expansion remains a central pillar of the firm’s 2024–2027 roadmap. The focus, he said, is on reinforcing the firm’s presence in “key jurisdictions with a solid legal offering” and targeting “high-value markets” where Cuatrecasas can deliver specialised, differentiated legal services. Fontcuberta also stressed that expansion will not be pursued “for expansion’s sake,” but rather through a selective, strategic lens—particularly across Latin America, the United States, and priority regions in Europe.
