At the end of 2021 Baker Botts announced it was closing its Hong Kong office, just over a year after shuttering its Beijing premises, bringing to an end a 16-year physical presence in Greater China, and Asia as a whole. Not only was this the latest in a number of law firm withdrawals from theContinue reading “Baker Botts Redraws Asia Strategy Map With Singapore Opening”
Category Archives: Private Practice Review
Home Comforts for Singapore’s Big Hitters
The perceived wisdom is that Singapore will pose an increasing threat to Hong Kong in attracting legal talent as the latter sticks doggedly to a Zero-Covid target policy which involves stricter social distancing and quarantine requirements than elsewhere. This continues to curtail business travel, undermining Hong Kong’s acknowledged status as an international hub, and placesContinue reading “Home Comforts for Singapore’s Big Hitters”
Tech Unicorns continue to lure big names from Private Practice in Asia
The news that US IPO doyenne Julie Gao was leaving Skadden Arps to join TikTok owner ByteDance as Chief Financial Officer was initially greeted with shock and surprise by the market but, given a brief cooling off period, it seems like the move makes a lot of sense and is indeed part of an increasingContinue reading “Tech Unicorns continue to lure big names from Private Practice in Asia”
Boutiques target International Arbitration in Singapore
There have been a number of eyecatching moves in the Singapore international arbitration market over the past year, with senior partners making moves few would have predicted. At the turn of 2022 it was announced that partner Simon Dunbar and counsel Kevin Lim would be leaving international arbitration titans King & Spalding for diminutive SingaporeContinue reading “Boutiques target International Arbitration in Singapore”
Private Practice Round-up 2021
Welcome to the new year; same as the old year? The news in 2021 was dominated by something that was emerging as a mere curiosity this time two years ago. Those who had lived through the original SARS outbreak were confident (or at least hopeful) that the then-named Coronavirus would be eradicated in the warmerContinue reading “Private Practice Round-up 2021”
Dentons land where others fear to tread
By Sam Kenworthy It has taken maybe longer than expected but global behemoth Dentons has finally planted a flag in the Vietnam market by forming an association with local firm LuatViet. The Vietnamese firm is not top heavy, with only three partners but over 30 legal professionals in total, but crucially it does have officesContinue reading “Dentons land where others fear to tread”
Mishcon de Reya doubles down in Asia with Hong Kong launch
By Sam Kenworthy Mishcon de Reya has always marched to the beat of its own drum, at least under the stewardship of Executive Chairperson Kevin Gold, who became Managing Partner of the firm almost 25 years ago. Then a respected but sleepy London private client/litigation boutique, the firm has built on those foundations to becomeContinue reading “Mishcon de Reya doubles down in Asia with Hong Kong launch”
Singapore attracts attention from the US, UK and beyond
By Sam Kenworthy As the Singapore legal market continues to observe internal movement, we have also seen new openings over the past 12 months, not surprising in itself as international firms have long jockeyed for position in the Lion City. However, alongside the headline-grabbing moves of US giants Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and McDermott, WillContinue reading “Singapore attracts attention from the US, UK and beyond”
Kirkland makes unusual step into Asian Real Estate
Kirkland & Ellis’ hire of Paul Hastings’ Paul Guan is not necessarily a surprise in the context of the Chicago giant’s enduring interest in swelling its private equity ranks, but a foray into real estate remains a rare occurrence in the Asian legal markets. Whereas the nuts-and-bolts conveyancing remains very much the preserve of localContinue reading “Kirkland makes unusual step into Asian Real Estate”
Clifford Chance Loses Seoul Glow
Clifford Chance’s decision to close its Seoul office is not necessarily a surprise since the Magic Circle firm had had no resident partner in the city for some time but it may also be indicative of a wider trend of global firms reducing their Asia footprints. Upon liberalisation of the South Korean market in 2012Continue reading “Clifford Chance Loses Seoul Glow”
Firms look to go green in 2021
As firms continue to strive to look beyond the core strategies of improving client service, profitability, market share expansion, talent acquisition, and so on, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) criteria are becoming increasingly promoted, with firms appointing dedicated senior staff members to oversee multi-pronged programs and initiatives that fall under this banner. Hughes-Castell spoke withContinue reading “Firms look to go green in 2021”
Singapore Flings Back in Style
In the wake of closures of several international firms’ offices in Beijing and Hong Kong over the last 12-24 months it is interesting to observe how firms in this sector recalibrate their Asia strategies. By far the most notable positive recent activity has been seen in Singapore, the City State having previously been a hotbedContinue reading “Singapore Flings Back in Style”
Firms eye return to Capital Markets boom times
As the world awaits the roll-outs of the various vaccines at varying rates of distribution, variable according to region, optimism is returning to the Asian markets. In some minds cautious optimism is being favoured following the devastating consequences of the global pandemic and its ongoing fallout, others report a return to regular compensation distribution levelsContinue reading “Firms eye return to Capital Markets boom times”
2020 signs off with a bang and a whimper
If 2020 was dominated by a global pandemic, it will be interesting to see if a particular theme will hold similar sway over 2021. We have observed firms adapting to new working conditions, client interaction, marketing enterprises and observers have traded views on how far these new practices will be adopted permanently. Assuming there isContinue reading “2020 signs off with a bang and a whimper”
Lawyers Embrace The New Normal
As we near the end of what we can all agree has been a unique year, partners are being asked to sum up the challenges and lessons of 2020. Covid-19 has obviously had an effect globally, of varying degrees in different countries depending on the severity of the outbreaks and the levels of governmental interferenceContinue reading “Lawyers Embrace The New Normal”
HK Capital Markets resilient in challenging market
According to Reuters, a recent flurry of IPOs and secondary listings worth at least $4.5 billion due to launch in Hong Kong will put 2020 on track to be the second-busiest year for equity capital markets in the city. Against the backdrop of the turmoil created by the protests earlier in the year which ranContinue reading “HK Capital Markets resilient in challenging market”
Group Hires Take The Summer Headlines
“As one door closes, another one opens,” may not be the most fitting idiom for this situation but as Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe closed the door on Hong Kong, a door opened for K&L Gates to snag a high-calibre private equity team. Scott Peterman, Sook Young Yeu and William Ho came on board the US-headquarteredContinue reading “Group Hires Take The Summer Headlines”
“Perfect Storm” perpetuates in Hong Kong
As if Hong Kong’s market hadn’t withstood enough of a battering over the last 12 months, more questions were asked of its long-term viability with the introduction of the new National Security Law officially passed on 30 June 2020. While this has surely contributed to a significant reduction in public demonstrations of civil unrest thatContinue reading ““Perfect Storm” perpetuates in Hong Kong”
Covid-19, cutbacks and closures
Covid-19 continues to hog the headlines as Hong Kong edges along in reducing social distancing rules and China moves more boldly towards returning its cities to normality. Every day seems to bring further news of international firms instigating cost-cutting measures and, officially or unofficially, freezing all hiring globally even as Asia looks to weather theContinue reading “Covid-19, cutbacks and closures”
Shifting sands in lateral hiring during the COVID-19 crisis
As the Western markets deal with steeply increasing numbers of infections and deaths from COVID-19 and its seemingly inexorable spread, and as a result governments in Europe and across the Atlantic finding it necessary to impose lockdowns on the public, it is difficult to envisage anything but lockdown in the laterals market. In Asia, theContinue reading “Shifting sands in lateral hiring during the COVID-19 crisis”