SJ Berwin, the UK law firm, has agreed to become the fourth member of the Hong Kong-headquartered King & Wood Mallesons to create a network with some 553 partners, over 2,200 lawyers and $1 billion in revenues.

King & Wood Mallesons's current network already consists of members in Hong Kong, Australia and China. In this transaction, which is expected to take effect on 1 November 2013, SJ Berwin is contributing 165 partners and 346 lawyers. It will eventually operate under the KWM brand after a transitional period.

KWM was formed in 2012 by the merger of Beijing-based King & Wood and Sydney-based Mallesons Stephen James. The addition of the UK firm was welcomed by all partners.

Stephen Kon, senior partner at SJ Berwin, will then become co-deputy chairman of the combined entity, alongside Stephen Minns, the current chairman in Australia. Wang Junfeng, who founded King & Wood, remains the chairman based in Beijing, while Stuart Fuller stays on as global managing partner.