Central Asia’s leading law firm joins forces with Dr Mimi Zou to establish its Greater China Practice

As the world welcomes the Lunar New Year of the Ox, Seven Pillars Law is delighted to
announce the establishment of its Greater China Practice. The practice will be headed by Dr
Mimi Zou, a highly experienced commercial lawyer, award-winning academic, and trusted
adviser to businesses, governments and international organisations in China and globally.
China offers significant opportunities for a wide range of clients at Seven Pillars, including its
USD6 trillion Belt and Road Initiative and one of the most vibrant technology ecosystems in
the world. 

Seven Pillars is perfectly placed to support clients with investments and business into and
from Greater China, having its headquarters along the Belt and Road, in the Astana
International Financial Centre, and with representative offices in London, Cape Town, Tel
Aviv and Dubai. Seven Pillars’ clients range from high net worth individuals to some of the
biggest companies in the world. 

Mark Beer OBE, co-founder of Seven Pillars Law said “China is one of the most exciting
economies in the world, but access can be daunting. With the establishment of our Greater
China Practice, headed by the renowned China expert, Dr Zou, we will be able to help our
clients demystify access to the new Silk Road and Greater China, and open up opportunities
for them to be part of China’s transition to becoming the world’s largest and most advanced economy by 2028.”

Dr Mimi Zou said, “I am very much looking forward to building Seven Pillars Law’s Greater
China Practice. The synergies are evident with Seven Pillars being perfectly placed to
provide legal services to its global clientele wanting to do business seamlessly in and from
Great China. It is very exciting to launch this practice in the Year of the Ox. Chinese
astrologists consider the Ox to be an animal of strength, hard work, reliability, and patience. I
believe these attributes also reflect how Seven Pillars Law has developed such successful
relationships with its clients to date.”

Dr Zou is an English and Australian qualified lawyer with 18 years of experience in top global
law firms, tech, financial services, international organisations and civil service. She is an
internationally recognised expert on commercial law, contract law, employment law and
dispute resolution. She is an accomplished and award-winning legal scholar and teacher,
having held the first academic post in Chinese law at the University of Oxford and co-
founded the Deep Tech Dispute Resolution Lab at Oxford. Fluent in Mandarin and
Cantonese, she is the author of numerous books and articles on Chinese and comparative
civil and commercial laws. Dr Zou holds doctoral and master’s degrees in law from the
University of Oxford.

She serves/has served as a special adviser to many prominent organizations, including the
Great Britain China Centre and UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Asia Society Policy
Institute, World Economic Forum, World Bank, United Nations, and UNIDROIT. She is also a
board member of numerous organisations in the UK and Asia. Dr Zou has advised on
several important law reform projects in China involving high-level international cooperation

among senior policymakers, members of the judiciary, influential academic experts,
business, and legal practitioners. She is regularly interviewed by international media outlets,
including The New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, Reuters, China Daily, VICE and South
China Morning Post.

Dr Zou has received numerous accolades for her contributions to the legal profession,
academia, and wider community, including Women of the Year, Young Women to Watch in
International Affairs, 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians, Asia Society Asia 21
Young Leaders, British Council Education UK Alumni Awards, UK Asian Women of
Achievements Awards, and Young Australian of the Year Awards.

Seven Pillars is the only law firm in Central Asia that offers comprehensive, strategic advice
by world-class lawyers with unrivalled experience in business and legal practice, in
government and judiciary. Seven Pillars’ global network comprises 850 lawyers, which
enables us to serve our clients on each continent (except Antarctica) in any industry and in
diverse areas of practice. The firm is named after the Zheti Zhargy, 7 foundational pillars of
the Kazakh legal system introduced in the 17th Century by Khan Tauke. By following that
heritage, Seven Pillars is building the leading law firm in Central Asia. 

For enquiries please contact:
Dr Mimi Zou – mimi.zou@sevenpillars.law
Mark Beer – mark.beer@sevenpillars.law
Kim Siegel – kim.siegel@sevenpillars.law