Perkins Coie Adds Partners James M. Zimmerman and Scott J. Palmer in China Practice

Veteran Beijing-based lawyers James M. Zimmerman and Scott J. Palmer have joined Perkins Coie’s Beijing office as partners. Zimmerman will join the firm’s Business practice, and Palmer will join the Intellectual Property practice.

In a release, the firm said the two have worked in China for most of the past three decades.

“It’s a significant gain for the firm to welcome Jim and Scott, two esteemed lawyers who bolster our growing teams in Beijing and Shanghai,” said Michael House, Managing Partner of Perkins Coie’s Beijing office. “Their exceptional experience and impressive track records in China further our ability to counsel our clients—particularly U.S. companies—in the transactional, regulatory, trademark, litigation and e-commerce areas.”

Geoffrey Vance, Managing Partner of Perkins Coie’s Shanghai office, adds: “The addition of Jim and Scott is a game-changer for Perkins Coie China and further demonstrates our commitment to maintaining a tier-one China practice and growing our offices here.”

Zimmerman previously led Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP’s Beijing office and has worked in the country since the late 1990s. He counsels U.S. companies across a broad range of industries on corporate, transactional, regulatory and litigation matters. He has experience with M&A, labor and employment and dispute resolution as well as with investments related to joint ventures, manufacturing, liquidation and dissolution.

He is the Chairman Emeritus of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and has served as its chairman and vice chairman on multiple occasions. He is the lead author of the ABA China Law Deskbook, a legal reference for companies doing business in China. He is regularly recognized as one of China’s leading business lawyers in the categories of Chinese Law, Dispute Resolution and General Corporate Law in the AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers Survey, and the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers for Arbitration, and as a Leading Individual in the category of Corporate/M&A for foreign law firms in China in the AsiaPacific Legal 500: The Guide to Asia’s Commercial Law Firms. Zimmerman earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law, and received his M.B.A. and B.A. from the University of California, Irvine.

Scott also joins Perkins Coie from Sheppard Mullin, where he was a partner. Fluent in Mandarin, he has spent his entire legal career in China beginning in the early 2000s. He advises clients on in-bound China IP enforcement, particularly with trademark, copyright, trade dress, patent and unfair competition matters involving IP. Scott manages IP portfolios for large multinational companies, including registration, prosecution, acquisition, maintenance, licensing, enforcement, and litigation of IP rights. His practice also includes customs registration/enforcement of IP, and the enforcement of IP on e-commerce sites, in social media and on mobile apps in China. Scott regularly advises on technology transfers, brand development and advertising, cross-border registration and enforcement of IP, complex IP litigation, as well as product quality and product approval/registration compliance for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and health foods. Scott also advises technology and telecommunications companies on Internet regulatory, Internet governance, and cyber security matters involving China.

Palamer was listed in Chambers Global and Chambers Asia as a Leading Lawyer (Intellectual Property) for 2018, and has been listed each year since 2011. He also has been listed as a Leading Individual by the World Trademark Review (2010-2018) and is recommended by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2016-2018). Scott earned his J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Bloomington, and received his B.A. from Northern Arizona University.

“As our offices in Beijing and Shanghai have grown in recent years, we’ve seen a sharp increase in clients seeking specialized assistance as they enter or expand their presences in those markets,” said John Devaney, Firmwide Managing Partner. “Jim and Scott’s knowledge and experience after many years in China address our clients’ growing needs in Asia when it comes to investments in a wide array of matters including joint ventures, banking and finance, evolving regulations, data privacy, cryptocurrency and IP enforcement.”

Also joining them at Perkins Coie will be a team of associates, paralegals and support staff.