Deacons Hong Kong the First Firm to be Awarded a Third Foreign Law Firm Licence in Mainland China  30 August 2005 Deacons, the Hong Kong law firm, is the first firm to achieve the historic milestone of a third foreign law firm licence in the People's Republic of China. At a ceremony to mark the occasion at the Ministry of Justice on Tuesday, 30 August 2005, Franki Cheung, Head of Deacons' China practice group, proudly accepted the third licence for a Shanghai office from a senior official of the Ministry. First established in 1999, Deacons' Shanghai office had been a representative office of the Australian firm, but that office effectively closed as of Tuesday, 30 August, to be replaced by a new office licence with the same partner, Elizabeth Cole, and staff under the Hong Kong firm's management. Deacons, which was established in Hong Kong in 1851, was awarded its first foreign law firm licence in mainland China in 1994 when it opened its office in Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong province. It was one of the five Hong Kong law firms in the first batch to receive its second licence in 2002 for its Beijing office following China's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Hong Kong Managing Partner, Lindsay Esler, said, "This is a very important achievement for the Hong Kong firm. It not only reflects the Ministry of Justice's faith in Deacons but it gives us, for the time being, a unique competitive advantage in the PRC market as the only firm to be granted three foreign law firm licences among the 201 licences already granted. Our coverage of the mainland market is the broadest of any foreign law firm." As one of Asia leading business law firms, Deacons' pre-eminent skills and capabilities are regularly recognised in independent research. Furthermore, our market share and showcase deals testify to the strength in depth and quality Deacons provides. Here we collate some of the notable aspects of Deacons' service areas that set us apart from the competition. Awards and recognition for areas of the firm and individuals are listed under the appropriate service area. Deacons has been ranked as a Global 50 Firm for the past two years by PLC Which Lawyer? (2003/2004 and 2004/2005 editions), an international guide to the legal markets and regulation of lawyers. The research recognised Deacons' unrivalled network across Asia: 'Deacons' identity is not tied to any one particular jurisdiction, but to a region, being one of the very few law firms that can claim to be a truly Asia-Pacific operation.' Deacons was also quoted in the Asia Pacific Legal 500, an annual independent survey of global legal players, as having '...a premier Hong Kong practice that is strong right across the board' and '...access to arguably the best network of offices. Deacons is one of the strongest pan-Asian law firms with an outstanding main office in Hong Kong, as well as Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei.'