Our team - China

Beijing
Annabel Allen
Annabel came to China in 1987 and has more than twelve years’ experience in the China legal market, having started in the China Practice Group of Baker & McKenzie. She has spent the past eight years in Beijing and is the General Manager of Hughes-Castell’s Beijing subsidiary. She holds a BA (Hons) in Modern Chinese Studies from the University of Leeds and an LLB from the University of London. She speaks fluent Mandarin, basic Cantonese and has perfected her Chinese reading skills through hours of perusing legal documents. 

Annabel has placed lawyers both in-house and in private practice, including hiring general counsel for US-listed companies and the China team for a major US law firm. She works on senior level hires, including partners. She has extensive experience in arranging tax efficient salary structures and is frequently consulted on ways to build strong legal teams in China. Annabel is a respected member of the Beijing business community, having served as director on the board of the British Chamber of Commerce in China and being an active member in a number of other business organizations. She organizes regular events for corporate counsel in Beijing and has spoken at a number of in-house counsel events in Shanghai and Beijing.

Tel: (86) 10 6581 1771
Email: aallen@hughes-castell.com.hk

Sara Shao
Sara joined the Hughes-Castell Beijing office in 2006 as a consultant where she works on the placement of junior lawyers in China. She graduated from the Business College of Massey University, New Zealand, majoring in Human Resource Management. She is a PRC national who speaks fluent English and has worked in both New Zealand and China.

Tel: (86) 10 6581 1781 ext. 101
Email: sshao@hughes-castell.com.hk

 

Shirley Xie
Shirley Xie is a researcher in our Beijing office and assists on searches for both private practice and in-house. She graduated from Beijing Normal University with a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy and a Masters in Philosophy. Prior to joining Hughes-Castell she was the Managing Editor of Science Press.

Tel: (86) 10 6581 1781 ext. 105
Email: sxie@hughes-castell.com.hk