asialaw Profiles 2022 will be the 26th annual edition of a publication which reports on the most important matters, transactions and disputes in the region and provides a succinct and authoritative guide to the leading law firms and some of their key individuals.
As the Asia legal market grows in sophistication with law firms increasingly valuing industry know-how by establishing sector specific teams to serve their clients, asialaw Profiles restructured its ranking system to give further emphasis to industry sector categories.
Our researchers track legal market developments throughout the year to inform their research. If you have any relevant firm or deal/case news you would like us to consider for our research or online output, please contact the editor Joanna Yang: joanna.yang@euromoneyasia.com
If your firm is interested in participating in the research, register your contact details through the link below to receive asialaw research announcements and newsletters. Throughout the year we provide updates about the progress of our research, including essential information such as deadlines, research forms and guidelines, and access to newly published research and editorial content.
To take part in our research simply:
If you would like to edit records or re-upload forms after submission, please contact the editor at joanna.yang@euromoneyasia.com. Do not re-submit without prior notice.
Late submission of client referees will not be accepted regardless of any reason.
Please be advised we cannot accept research forms or client referees sent to us by email as it contravenes our GDPR policy.
In each jurisdiction, we have selected what we consider to be the most important and active industry sectors/practice areas in the market as the ranking categories.
You can see which sectors and practice areas are covered in your jurisdiction below.
BANGLADESH
General business law
BRUNEI
General business law
SECTORS - Banking and financial services, Infrastructure, Real estate
CAMBODIA
General business law
SECTORS - Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Industrials and manufacturing
CHINA
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Competition/antitrust, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Investment funds, Labour and employment, Private equity, Regulatory, Restructuring and insolvency, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Energy, Industrials and manufacturing, Infrastructure, Insurance, Materials, Media and entertainment, Mining, Oil and gas, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
HONG KONG
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Construction, Corporate & M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Investment funds, Labour and employment, Private client, Private equity, Regulatory, Restructuring and insolvency
SECTORS - Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Insurance, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
INDIA
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Competition/antitrust, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Investment funds, Labour and employment, Private equity, Regulatory, Restructuring and insolvency, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation, Banking and financial services, Energy, Infrastructure, Insurance, Media and entertainment, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences, Real estate, Shipping, Technology and telecommunications
INDONESIA
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Competition/antitrust, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Labour and employment, Private equity, Restructuring and insolvency, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Energy, Industrials and manufacturing, Infrastructure, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
JAPAN
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Competition/antitrust, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Investment funds, Labour and employment, Private equity, Regulatory, Restructuring and insolvency, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Energy, Infrastructure, Insurance, Media and entertainment, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
KAZAKHSTAN
General business law
SECTORS - Energy, Infrastructure, Oil and gas
LAOS
General business law
SECTORS - Banking and financial services, Infrastructure
MACAU
General business law
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Banking and financial services, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
MALAYSIA
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Competition/antitrust, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Labour and employment, Restructuring and insolvency, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Energy, Infrastructure, Insurance, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
MALDIVES
General business law
MONGOLIA
General business law
SECTORS - Mining
MYANMAR
General business law
SECTORS - Banking and financial services, Energy, Infrastructure, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
PAKISTAN
General business law
SECTORS - Energy, Infrastructure
PHILIPPINES
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Competition/antitrust, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Labour and employment, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Banking and financial services, Energy, Infrastructure, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
SINGAPORE
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Competition/antitrust, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Investment funds, Labour and employment, Private equity, Regulatory, Restructuring and insolvency, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Energy, Infrastructure, Insurance, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
SOUTH KOREA
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Competition/antitrust, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Investment funds, Labour and employment, Private equity, Regulatory, Restructuring and insolvency, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Energy, Industrials and manufacturing, Infrastructure, Insurance, Media and entertainment, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
SRI LANKA
General business law
TAIWAN
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Competition/antitrust, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Investment funds, Labour and employment, Private equity, Regulatory, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Consumer goods and services, Energy, Insurance, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
THAILAND
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Labour and employment, Restructuring and insolvency, Tax
SECTORS - Aviation and shipping, Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Energy, Industrials and manufacturing, Infrastructure, Insurance, Real estate, Technology and telecommunications
VIETNAM
PRACTICE AREAS - Banking and finance, Capital markets, Construction, Corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Intellectual property, Labour and employment, Tax
SECTORS - Banking and financial services, Consumer goods and services, Energy, Industrials and manufacturing, Infrastructure, Real estate
Please note that the above ranking categories are based on the current edition of asialaw profiles and are a work-in-progress that may change depending on market feedback. In smaller jurisdictions, the main category is General business law which covers all practice areas and sectors that have not been separated out.
A law firm’s ranking reflects its overall ability to service clients in each industry sector or practice area.
An individual lawyer’s ranking reflects their ability to service clients in each industry sector and also their practice area specialisms.
Our rankings are based on THREE key criteria
In each research cycle, we ask firms to provide deal and case highlights from the previous 12 months.
Work evidence is the decisive factor we use to determine a firm’s ranking. For a firm to be ranked, it must have a strong track record of advising on matters relevant to our ranking categories. The same applies to the ratings of individuals; lawyers must have been working on significant deals and cases in some capacity to be rated.
We assess work evidence for complexity or innovation through criteria which varies according to the practice area and jurisdiction. When making an assessment of firm’s work we take into account the volume of complex work a firm does in an area. Firms that consistently have a high market share of complex deals and cases, relative to their jurisdiction and the practice area, are ranked highly, if we have sufficient supporting client feedback for the work.
Primarily firms submit deals to us via the research form. Our research team also monitors daily legal news and updates to complement this.
We also analyse statistical evidence of transaction values and volumes produced by external publications.
We speak to a wide range of corporate and in-house contacts as part of our ‘CLIENT FEEDBACK SURVEY’ to get their opinions on the firms and lawyers they use.
We use client feedback to help us asses the quality of advice and service lawyers and firms are providing. We survey tens of thousands of corporate and in-house contacts provided to us by participating firms annually to ask their opinions on the firms and lawyers they use.
Client feedback is used in support of work evidence when determining a firm’s ranking or lawyer’s rating. What this means is good feedback alone will not ensure a firm or lawyer is ranked or rated – a firm or individual must be experienced in advising on significant transactional work.
When you submit you should try and provide referees for all the lawyers at the firm you feel should be rated. A lawyer working on significant deals/cases who receives a reasonable amount of good client feedback is more likely to be rated.
Increasing response rate of referees
Some ways we have found increase the number of referees who respond to our survey are:
During each research cycle, we conduct an online Lawyer Survey of lawyers to get their thoughts and feedback on the firms and lawyers in their markets. All partners and senior lawyers active in work relevant research to our ranking categories are invited to participate.
We conduct a significant number of phone and face-to-face interviews with practitioners, where we ask for feedback on firms and discuss trends. By discussing market trends we are able to gain a better understanding of what the most significant deals and cases in the market have been recently, which helps us assess work submitted to us.
Peer feedback can be beneficial for individual ratings as lawyers are well placed on recognising the leaders in their own practice areas.
Peer feedback is secondary to client feedback and we only take feedback into account where it is supported by work evidence.
Our annual Lawyer Survey is an opportunity for lawyers to provide evidence to support a Leading Lawyer rating and to provide feedback on our rankings and ratings.
Lawyers can provide us with recent examples of their work and details about their practice area and industry sector specialisms, which will be assessed when we evaluate our Leading Lawyer ratings.
Lawyers can also provide feedback on the rankings and the legal markets they work in. Relevant and reasoned feedback will be taken into consideration if we find supporting evidence.
All lawyers active in the relevant research categories are invited to take part.
Alongside our firm rankings, we also recognise the work of outstanding individuals. Our recommendations are based on the same three factors as our law firm rankings (outlined in the 'Firm ranking and lawyer rating criteria' section) and consist of the following categories:
Senior Statesman
Senior figures with strong track records who are still influential in the market.
Elite practitioner
True leaders of their field, these lawyers have an outstanding track record and are recognised as the standout performers in their country or practice area.
Distinguished practitioner
Lawyers who are highly regarded by their peers and possess a strong record and positive client feedback. These are lawyers that lead deals/cases.
Rising Star
'Ones to watch' lawyers who are building their reputations in the market and have the potential to become one of the leading lawyers in near future. These are lawyers that assisted on deals/cases.
Notable practitioner
Proven to be active in the market with positive feedback from peers and clients.
