Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Citigroup stood out among the crowd at The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards on Sep. 5, taking home some of the most coveted awards including the Hong Kong Law Firm of the Year, Hong Kong Deal of the Year and In-House Team of the Year.
The 13th annual event, held at the Conrad Hotel in Hong Kong, recognised Hong Kong’s best law firms, legal work and lawyers across a total of 40 categories. The evening entertained around 400 high-profile legal luminaries, including globally renowned law firms, in-house counsel and business leaders in Hong Kong and North Asia.
“The awards highlight the capabilities of these individuals and firms within a challenging economy, and reflect the resilience of Hong Kong and its importance to not just the Greater China region, but Asia as a whole,” said Ranajit Dam, Managing Editor, Legal Media Group, Thomson Reuters.
The guest of honour for the event, Huen Wong, president-elect of the Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) also commented: “The number of nominations this year is a reflection of the exciting time experienced by the legal profession as well as the continued economic success of Hong Kong in the past twelve months.”
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer was crowned the Hong Kong Law Firm of the Year, and also took home another seven awards including TMT Firm of the Year and Hong Kong Deal of the Year.
“We’re thrilled to have won these awards. We have a very strong bench throughout the firm, not just in the partners and associates, but also in our business support team that help deliver our exceptional service,” said Robert Ashworth, Asia managing partner of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, at the awards ceremony.
International firm Mayer Brown JSM took home three awards - Real Estate Law Firm of the Year, Insurance Law Firm of the Year and Insolvency and Restructuring Law Firm of the Year - while Baker & McKenzie won awards for the Tax and Trusts Law Firm of the Year and Wealth Management Law Firm of the Year.
In-house counsel were also recognised at the event. Citigroup was revealed as the Hong Kong In-House Team of the Year, and also bagged awards for Banking and Financial Services In-House Team of the Year, Debt Market Deal of the Year and Hong Kong Deal of the Year. Alibaba Group was voted the Hong Kong Corporate Counsel Association Innovative In-House Team of the Year, while Goldman Sachs (Asia) took home the prize for the Lewis Sanders Investment Bank In-House Team of the Year.
The night also recognised individual excellence, with Philana Poon of PCCW-HKT and Daniel Lee of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts jointly winning The Macallan Fine Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky Award In-House Lawyer of the Year Award.
Robert Ashworth capped off a successful night for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, taking home the coveted awards for both Dealmaker of the Year and Managing Partner of the Year.
“[Winning these awards] is one of the things that people aspire to, but no individual really deserves these awards on their own,” said Ashworth.
“It’s all down to the calibre of the people and the team that works around you, and that day-to-day interaction with some really top quality people.”
For the full list of winners, please click here.
ALB Law Awards 2014 series
• ALB Malaysia Law Awards 2014 - Kuala Lumpur, March
• ALB China Law Awards 2014 - Beijing, April
• ALB SE Asia Law Awards 2014 - Singapore, May
• ALB Japan Law Awards 2014 - Tokyo, June
• The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2014 - Hong Kong, September
• ALB Indonesia Law Awards 2014 - Jakarta, October
• ALB Korea Law Awards 2014 - Seoul, November
