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Baker McKenzie Named ASEAN Law Firm of the Year

 

Baker McKenzie has won three awards — "ASEAN Law Firm of the Year", "Thailand Law Firm of the Year" and "Vietnam Law Firm of the Year" — at the Chambers Asia Pacific Awards 2021.

In its awards write-up, Chambers & Partners ("Chambers") says that: "Baker McKenzie retains a commanding position across Southeast Asia." It notes that clients frequently comment on the Firm’s strength across the region and appreciate the value it offers, with one client saying: “Baker McKenzie is ahead of the curve and their experience allows them to forecast what lies before their clients and draw up a strategy to successfully negotiate the difficulties. This puts them above peer firms who, unfortunately, cannot draw upon the wealth of experience that Baker McKenzie has across its offices. They are renowned for their local expertise in the region with multiple offices and their ability to bring to bear their industry knowledge and international experience on each matter.”

On accepting the awards virtually, Michael Wong, Baker McKenzie's Asia Pacific Chair, said: "We opened our first office in the Asia Pacific region almost 60 years ago, and we have been passionate about supporting the growth and development of ASEAN ever since."

Michael continued: "Last year has been incredibly challenging, but it has been inspiring to see our clients across Southeast Asia move from resilience to recovery, and now in many cases, business renewal. We also refocused our own business to provide clients with even greater support in areas such as 'Digital Transformation', 'Supply Chain Reorganization' and transactional activities in a much-changed yield landscape."

"It is humbling to be recognized for a very small part in supporting ASEAN businesses through this period, and we would like to thank our friends at Chambers for awarding us 'ASEAN Law Firm of the Year'."

"The decade ahead is said to be another great change. We look forward to continuing to work with multinationals across the globe to set up operations and grow in Southeast Asia. At the same time, we will help many of the region's fast-growth companies to expand internationally," Michael said.

The Chambers team also described the strength of the Firm in each local market:

• Thailand: The Firm has secured Band One rankings in nearly all of practice areas; boasting outstanding capabilities in M&A, real estate, banking and finance, capital markets, and dispute resolution. Clients described the Firm as “one of the best law firms in Thailand" and said that it has "a strong knowledge of Thailand's legal system, lots of experienced lawyers covering a variety of areas, and good business connections in Thailand." “It is excellent being able to reach them for one-stop legal support and solutions, because they will provide legal advice as well as solutions from a complete and practical picture.”

• Vietnam: Baker McKenzie is widely hailed by sources as a leading choice of counsel among major international and local clients seeking advice in Vietnam, combining long-established local capability with a strong network of offices in the wider region. Clients praise the high levels of expertise and services on offer across a wide spectrum of practice areas. The team’s commerciality is regularly highlighted, with one client saying: “They make an effort to understand your business, which helps in getting the right advice.” Over the last year, the Firm has continued to secure instruction on major joint ventures, acquisitions and FDI work across various sectors including real estate, private equity, TMT and energy. 

• Singapore: Through its member firm Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, the Firm offers both domestic and international law advice across a wide variety of practice areas, with notable strength in IP, Tax, Corporate and Finance matters. 

• Malaysia: Through its member firm Wong & Partners, the Firm provides a similar strength in Malaysia, with clients pinpointing the quality of its advice, noting: “Their insight is broad and comprehensive, and they always give us more than the facts of the law, including the thinking behind it." 

• Indonesia: Its member firm HHP Law Firm regularly advises on landmark transactions, including its recent advice regarding the joint sellers on the USD 2.14 billion sale of Bank Permata. 

• Philippines: Its member firm Quisumbing Torres is also highly respected and achieves widescale recognition for its strength in real estate, employment, IP, corporate, finance and disputes, among other areas. 

The Chambers Asia Pacific Awards honor the work of national and international law firms across the region based on research for the recent edition of Chambers Asia Pacific. They recognize a law firm’s pre-eminence in key jurisdictions in the region. They also reflect notable achievements over the past 12 months, including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client service.

 

 

 

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

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