Jade & Fountain, a finalist for "Shanghai Law Firm of the Year" in the 2009 ALB China Law Awards, has continued to strengthen its market position in Shanghai by making three partner appointments.

The new additions to its partnership, Song Liwei, Henry Xiao and Jeffery Yang, will help expand the firm's corporate, dispute resolution, international trade and capital markets practice and take the total number of its partners to 15.

New partner Song Liwei (pictured) joins from Gide Loyrette Nouel, where he developed the firm's antidumping and international trade practice in China. He is one of the few European-Chinese specialists in the area of international trade and has been involved in more than 30 cases in this area.

Henry Xiao, formerly a partner with Zhong Lun, is experienced in the areas of M&A, real estate, employment, and dispute resolution. He has some 10 years of experience advising multinationals on various China-related transactions and influential court cases.

Jeffrey Yang, who had practised with Freshfields, Herbert Smith and Haiwen & Partners prior to joining Jade & Fountain, enjoys a growing reputation in advising cross-border M&A transactions, foreign direct investment and China-related securities offerings.