Few would deny that 2009 has severely tested the mettle of law firms across the region. A downturn in staple areas such as M&A, banking & finance, capital markets and projects work has caused a high degree of discomfort, forcing firms to lay off staff and restructure and regroup, not to mention drastically affecting revenues and profits. But the 30 firms here have stood tall above the rest. They have used mergers to bulk up, aggressive recruitment strategies to explode into new practice areas or jurisdictions, or their own verve, agility and talent to record a year of strong growth.

Methodology

The ALB Fast 30 is based on a survey distributed to over 400 law firms across Asia-Pacific (excluding Australia and New Zealand). Partner, fee-earner and financial data was supplied by the law firms and was used to produce the ranking of the 30 fastest-growing firms. Only those who responded to ALB’s request for figures were considered for the final ranking, and all information is accurate to the end of October 2009, unless otherwise stated in the text.

For most Chinese firms, revenue figures and % increases are given with parenthetic indication of the financial year end to which the figures pertain. Only the Asia growth of international law firms was considered.

The ALB FAST 30 2009

China	India	Japan	Korea
Dacheng Global Law Grandall Hylands Jade & Fountain Longan T&C Zhongyin Broad & Bright	Economic Law Practice Luthra & Luthra Khaitan & Co	Atsumi & Partners Mori Hamada & Matsumoto Nishimura & Asahi	Bae Kim & Lee Kim & Chang Yulchon

Singapore	International	Vietnam	Malaysia
TS Oon & Bazul WongPartnership	Eversheds JSM K&L Gates Norton Rose Skadden Stephenson Harwood Watson Farley Williams	Indochine Counsel	Azmi & Associates

NEXT: China's fastest growing firms 2009  

 

CHINA

A number of large and medium-sized Beijing firms have been expanding their national presence by acquiring regional firms, which led to strong growth in revenues. Here are China's fastest growing firms.

Broad & Bright

• Managing partner: Yuan Changchun
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 8/29
• Asian offices: Beijing and Shanghai

 

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP
2008	6	12
2009	8	29	RMB35m, up 30% (31 Dec 2008)	up 10%

Summary:
Although senior partner John Chu left the firm for Jun He, Broad & Bright has grown its partnership and lawyer team steadily and achieved a 30% increase in total revenues. The firm’s Shanghai branch office, which opened in August 2008, has contributed to the growth of its overall headcount and revenues and quickly emerged as a recognisable player in the city’s corporate legal market. In April 2009, former associate at O’Melveny & Myer’s Shanghai office, Xiong Tao, joined the firm as a partner, further strengthening its branding as a firm of lawyers with international experience.

Dacheng

• Managing partner: Wang Zhongde
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 383/893
• Branch offices: Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing, Jinan, Tianjin, Harbin, Chengzhou, Yingchuan, Xining, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Haikou, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Nantong, Changchun, Xi’an, Nanjing, Fuzhou, Shenyang, Wuxi, Qingdao, Urumqi, Taiyuan,
  Guiyang, Nanning, Huhot, Singapore, Taiwan, Paris, Los Angeles

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP	Office/s opened
2008	241	626
2009	383	893	up 108.33% (31 Dec 2008)	up 14.71%	Nanjing,Nantong,Shengyang, Changchun, Guangzhou, Fuzhou,Wuxi,Qingdao,Urumqi, Taiyuan,Guiyang,Nanning,Huhot

Summary:

Over the past year, Dacheng’s expansion stories have had everyone in the legal community talking. The firm opened more than 10 branches and recruited a significant number of lawyers, becoming one of the largest law firms in Asia. Working with Singapore firm Central Chambers, Dacheng became the only  Chinese firm with a joint venture in Singapore. The joint venture thereafter entered into a strategic alliance with Indian firm Vaish Associates Advocates to offer clients greater access to China-India trade opportunities. The firm also jointly initiated the Across-Taiwan-Strait Legal Services Centre and opened an office in Taiwan.

Global

• Managing partner: Liu Jinrong
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 45/95
• Asian offices: Beijing and Shanghai

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP
2008	34	85
2009	45	95	up 25% (31 Dec 2008)	up 30%

Summary:

Global has had a good year with a stable increase in revenue and headcount. The firm’s managing partner Liu Jinrong was appointed to the managing position earlier this year. With a clear vision and stable growth, Global has plans to launch two more offices – in Chengdu and Shenzhen – within the next six months. Over the year, the firm has also expanded practice areas like anti-trust, project finance and tax.

Grandall

• Managing partner: Lv Hongbing
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 102/360
• Asian offices: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Kunming, Tianjin, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Ningbo

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP	Office/s opened
2008	98	352
2009	102	360	up 22%(31 Dec 2008)	up 25%	Beijing

  
Summary:

Grandall’s leading position in the capital markets, together with its long-standing relationship with many domestic companies, has helped retain its position among the fastest-growing firms. According to a report issued by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) in 2009, Grandall is ranked first with respect to the number of IPOs it was involved in, overtaking 2007 champion King & Wood with a total issuance of 37 legal opinions (12.5% market share). The firm established a strategic alliance with Fujian Haochen Law firm and also launched an IP agent in Beijing.

Han Kun

• Managing partner/s: Nil
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 9/40
• Asian offices: Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP	Office/s opened
2008	6	31
2009	9	40	up 50%(31 Mar 2009)	up 50%	Shanghai, Shenzhen

Summary:

In addition to new offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen earlier this year, Han Kun recruited three new partners and one counsel from top international law firms. The firm made 2009 another milestone year by its addition of 14 new lawyers and an expansive list of clientele including AsiaInfo, Huawei, Sequoia Capital, TeamSun and General Electric. The firm’s growth meant it was nominated as one of the finalists for “Rising Law Firm of the Year” at the ALB China Law Awards 2009.

Hylands

• Managing partner: Liu Hong
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 31/113
• Asian offices: Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP
2008	27	108
2009	31	113	RMB102.8m, up 37.62% (31 Dec  2008)	RMB3.81m, up 37.6%

Summary:

Hylands, established in 2007 on the basis of a merger between Haotian and Li Wen & Partners, makes its debut in the ALB Fast 30 list this year. The full-service firm serves a diverse local and international corporate client base and enjoys a solid reputation in the practice areas where it has been traditionally strong – real estate, construction, IP and dispute resolution. Leveraging the new platform and its membership in Terralex, the international business group led by partner Jiang Jiang has experienced particularly strong growth.

Jade & Fountain

• Managing partner/s: Scott Guan and Mark Ho
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 15/46
• Asian offices: Shanghai

Summary:

As part of Jade & Fountain’s growth, the firm has made significant hires over the past year. It appointed three new partners from international firms to its corporate, dispute resolution, international trade and capital markets practice and also launched new practice groups – tax, capital markets, commercial real estate, international trade & anti-dumping. Recognised for its growing success, the firm was a finalist for the “Shanghai Law Firm of the Year” in the 2009 ALB China Law Awards.

Longan

• Managing partner: Xu Jiali
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 45/115
• Asian offices: Beijing, Shanghai, Shengyang, Shenzhen

 

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP
2008	35	110
2009	45	115	up 30%	Nanjing, Guangzhou

Summary:

Longan’s managing partner Xu Jiali credits the strength of the IP team and a domestically-focused corporate practice, as well as the intake of several new partners for the firm’s solid 60% revenue growth. In the past 12 months, the firm has opened two new branches in Nanjing and Guangzhou, while its Shenzhen branch has expanded significantly by merging with the Shenzhen office of a Beijing firm and a local Shenzhen firm. Longan plans to set up more branch offices across the nation via acquisition of leading regional firms as well as establish closer cooperation with a number of foreign firms in the coming years.

T&C

• Managing partner: Zhang Jingzhong
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 21/101
• Asian offices: Shanghai and Hangzhou

Summary:

The winner of ALB China’s 2009 Zhengjiang Law Firm of the Year, T&C has had a fulfilling year while its national rivals had to face a dramatic reduction in client demand and deal flow. However, while its revenues grew by 45%, its profit-per-partner decreased by 7.7%. Under the leadership of managing partner Zhang Jingzhong, who currently serves as the president of the Zhejiang Lawyers Association, T&C remains a dominant player in the area of FDI, IPOs and corporate finance in the Yangtze River Delta region. The firm’s membership in the Sino-Global Legal Alliance also helps boost its management know-how and international practice.

Zhongyin

• Managing partner: Zhao Cenghai
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 21/101
• Asian offices: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Chengdu, Guiyang, Nanning, Taizhou, Wuxi, Jinan, Jixi, Fuzhou

Summary:

Zhongyin’s merger with Zhengtai in 2008 has not only created one of the largest firms in China (with 273 lawyers) but also helped the new firm to achieve an incredible 100% growth in revenues. The merger has reinforced Zhongyin’s leading position on its traditional turf and allowed it to expand in the areas of corporate, M&A, real estate, foreign investment, IP and dispute resolutions, benefiting its clients on the local and international scene. Aiming to expand internationally, the firm recently appointed Baker & McKenzie’s former Taipei partner Steven Hsu as senior consultant and managing director of the firm’s marketing centre. Having already established representative offices in Toronto and Frankfurt, Zhongyin is currently exploring possibilities to form strategic alliances with London and Hong Kong law firms.

 NEXT: India's fastest growing firms 2009

INDIA

•  Indian lawyers are returning home from stints in international law firms to partnerships in local law firms.
• Operating on a relatively streamlined structure, Indian law firms PEP figures are impressive, but will likely be affected as firms migrate to LLP structures from next year. Here are India's fastest growing firms.

Economic Laws Practice

• Managing partner: Rohan Pradeep Shah
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 16/68
• Asia offices: Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune

Summary:

A debutant in the ALB Fast 30 for 2009, Economic Laws Practice (ELP) has had an impressive year by every measure. The firm’s partner and fee-earner stocks rose through 2009 by 45% and 44% respectively, ostensibly on the back of increases in its core areas of taxation (where it took most of its lawyers from Ernst & Young), commercial and regulatory. Considered as one of the firms to watch among the legal fraternity in India, ELP also posted impressive financials during this period; its revenue increased by 50% on the same period in 2008, while PEP increased by 40%.

Khaitan & Co

• Managing partner: Haigreve Khaitan
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 34/160
• Asia offices:  Bangalore; Kolkata; Mumbai, and New Delhi

	Partners	Fee earners
2008	32	141
2009	34	160

Summary:

The firm that started in 2001 with only five professionals has grown over the last eight years into a full-service law firm, nipping at the heels of India’s most prestigious law firms. During this period the firm brought three new partners on board – Freshfield’s Bharat Anand, AZB’s Prabjot Singh Bhullar and Norton Rose’s Kalpana Unadkat – in addition to welcoming back partner Gauri Rasgotra after a stint at the George Washington University’s School of Law. The firm also seems to have left room for further growth in the year ahead having recently taken up 30,000 square feet of office space in landmark One Indiabulls Centre.

Luthra & Luthra

• Managing partner: Rajiv K Luthra
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 26/186
• Asian offices: New Delhi, Mumbai & Bangalore

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP
2008	26	158
2009	26	186	up 57%	up 57%

Summary:

Luthra & Luthra has consolidated its position as one of India’s fastest- growing law firms after another solid year. The firm increased its fee earner ranks by 30, welcoming Ameet Datta and his team of three to its entertainment & media and IP practice; Ashwin Sapra as group head of IP; Piyush Misra as new head of banking & finance (from Allen & Overy); and Manan Lahoty as head of capital markets, from Shearman & Sterling. The firm also saw its revenue and PEP figures increase by 57%.

NEXT: Japan's fastest growing firms

JAPAN

• Japan’s biggest firms consolidate their positions in the ‘Big Four’ through increasing fee-earner headcounts. 
• Elevation of the first gaiben to partnership in local firms: is this the start of a trend?

Atsumi & Partners

• Managing partner/s: Hiroo Atsumi (managing partner); Hiroaki Takahashi (vice managing partner)
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 21/60
• Asia offices: Tokyo

	Partners	Fee earners
2008	19	49
2009	21	60

Summary:

An ALB Fast 30 law firm last year, Atsumi & Partners returns to the list this year after another year of strong organic growth. Apart from increasing its partner and fee earner numbers by two and 11 respectively (including the elevation of John Shanahan to partnership), the firm also sealed memberships with international organisations such as the World Services Group and ALFA International.

Mori Hamada & Matsumoto

• Managing partner/s: Toru Ishiguro, Yasuzo Takeno, Satoko Kuwabara, Hideki Matsui, Masanori Sato, Soichiro Fujiwara
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 81/214
• Asia offices: Tokyo, Beijing & Shanghai

	Partners	Fee earners
2008	73	174
2009	81	214

Summary:

Another Japanese law firm returning to our ALB Fast 30, albeit after a year’s hiatus, is Mori Hamada, which consolidated its position in Japan’s ‘Big Four’ through some impressive organic growth over the past year. In March this year, the firm elevated nine associates to its partnership, brought in a total of 35 newly-qualified lawyers in two intakes in January and September 2009 and also made two high-profile senior hires. Former Prosecutor-General of the Public Prosecutors Office Keiichi Tadaki joined in October while Chuo University Law School professor Hiroshi Takahashi came on board in July.

Nishimura & Asahi

• Managing partner: Akira Kosugi
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 81/362
• Asian offices: Tokyo

	Partners	Fee earners
2008	77	339
2009	81	362

Summary:

Nishimura & Asahi returns to our ALB Fast 30 list this year after it increased its fee earner ranks by 23 and the number of partners from 77 to 81. Like fellow Japanese firm Atsumi & Partners, Nishimura tapped into the gaiben employment market bringing on board Go Hashimoto, Eiji Kobayashi, James Emerson, Lee Hill, Sun Ing Chian, Deborah Im and Yin Xiuzhong. The firm is also in the process of establishing its first international office – in Beijing – which it expects to open in April 2010.

NEXT: Korea's fastest growing firms 2009

 KOREA

 With legal services market liberalisation just around the corner, Korean firms have tapped into the international employment market in a big way, making a combined total of 15 hires over the past year

Bae Kim & Lee

• Managing partner: YS Oh
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 73/284
• Asian offices: Seoul, Shanghai and Beijing.

	Partners	Fee earners	Office opened
2008	68	253
2009	73	284	Shanghai (25 Nov 2008)

Summary:

Bae Kim & Lee is again among the fastest-growing law firms in a Korean legal services market that is fast approaching liberalisation. In addition to having opened its one and only international office in Shanghai this time last year, the firm backed up its 2008 10% headcount increase by bringing six new partners and 29 fee-earners on board. Among these were the highly publicised hires of ICC arbitrators James Morrison and David MacArthur in May. This now means it is among only a handful of Korean firms with the resources to capitalise on the niche – yet fast-growing – area of international commercial arbitration in Korea.

Kim & Chang

• Managing partner: Young-Moo Kim
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 120/570
• Asian offices: Seoul

	Partners	Fee earners
2008	120	460
2009	120	570

Summary:

By far the fastest-growing law firm in Korea in this period, Kim & Chang increased its cache of fee-earners by 110 in 2009, an increase of nearly 24%, and has said that there will be plenty more strategic hires in the year ahead. This year the firm bolstered its practice with international hires including Fried Frank partner Edward Kim as a foreign attorney and Yulchon’s Youngjin Jung, in addition to bringing former judge Lee Hoe Kee on board in October.

 Yulchon

• Managing partner: Chang Rok Woo
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 40/163
• Asian offices: Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue
2008	33	138
2009	40	163	up 20%

Summary:

It has been another year of strong growth at Korea’s ‘Law Village’. An ALB Employer of Choice law firm in Korea for 2009, Yulchon increased its fee-earner ranks by 17% in addition to welcoming seven new partners on board. This all played a large part in accounting for the 25% increase in revenues it witnessed in this period. On the hiring side the firm saw a number of prosecutors, judges and senior foreign counsel join in 2009, including Kim Tae Hyeon, Choe Jeong Yeol, Cho Jeong Cheol,  Son Kum Ju, Lee Su Jae and John KJ Kim.

NEXT: Fastest growing firms in Malaysia, Vietnam & Singapore

  Malaysia, Vietnam & Singapore

Azmi & Associates

• Managing partner/s: Azmi Mohd Ali – senior partner/managing partner, Ahmad Lutfi Abdull Mutalip – deputy managing partner
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 9/34
• Asian offices: Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kota Bahru

	Partners	Fee earners	Office opened
2008	8	25
2009	9	34	Johor Bahru

Summary:

Azmi & Associates makes a return to the ALB Fast 30 after another year of strong growth. The firm launched an international law division and appointed Michael Doyle, a senior foreign counsel on US law and practice development, to lead the initiative. In August and September Azmi made two senior hires – Jeffrey Tan Siew Yang and Sushaimi Lazim – and has welcomed a number of international interns from the US, Canada, France, Germany and Indonesia. Expect more growth from this firm in the coming year.

WongPartnership

• Managing partner/s: senior partner – Alvin Yeo; senior counsel,  managing partner – Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 70/240
• Asian offices: Singapore, China, Qatar and Abu Dhabi

 

	Partners	Fee earners	Office opened
2008	65	225
2009	70	240	Abu Dhabi, Qatar (licence by QFCA)

Summary:

This was not only a year when WongPartnership increased its fee earner and partner stocks but 2009 was also the year in which the firm enlarged its geographic footprint. WongPartnership became the first South-East Asian law firm to open a second office in the Gulf region when it opened in Abu Dhabi. The firm hired the services of Chung Nian Lam and Miao Miao earlier this year, and with other hires throughout the year yielded a partner increase of 8% and a fee earner increase of just under 7%.

T S Oon & Bazul

• Managing partner/s: Bazul Ashhab & Oon Thian Seng
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 6/20
• Asian offices: Singapore

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP
2008	4	12
2009	6	20	up 52% (Aug 2009)	up 52%

Summary:

TS Oon & Bazul’s steady growth by all measures sees this well respected shipping practice make a debut on the ALB Fast 30. The firm’s most high-profile hires include banking & finance partner Ting Chi Yen and former DLA Piper international arbitration lawyer Karnan Thirupathy. As impressive as the big names the firm has brought on board are its financials for the past year – it registered a 52% increase in revenue on the same period last year.

Indochine Counsel

• Managing partner: Dang The Duc
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 4/20
• Asian offices: Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP	Office opened
2008	3	12
2009	4	20	up 50%	up 45%	Affiliated office in Hanoi (in strategic alliance with Leadco Vietnam Legal Counsellors)

 

Summary:

It has been another busy year for this fast-growing Vietnam law firm. Not only did it sign a watershed strategic alliance with Leadco Vietnam Legal Counsellors, but Indochine Counsel was also active in the employment space. In May 2009 the firm brought on board Nguyen Thi Hong Duong and Nguyen Thi Xuyen, while in June this year former Frasers partner Bui Ngoc Hong was appointed partner with the firm. In October, Steve Jacob joined the firm as a foreign consultant.

NEXT: International firms

International firms

 • International law firms, with a few exceptions, experienced only modest gains on the partner and fee-earner front compared to the same period last year
• Strong emphasis on growing Asia-based talent through partner promotions
• Firms more willing to look to inorganic means for practice development including mergers and alliances
• Planning for the next downturn? More emphasis placed on growing counter-cyclical practice areas (dispute resolution, insolvency & restructuring) as well as recession-proof areas (energy & resources)

Eversheds

• Managing partners: Nick Seddon, managing director Hong Kong, Desmond Ong, managing director Singapore, Peter Corne, managing director China
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 14/32
• Asian offices: Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai

 

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	Office opened
2008	1	10
2009	14	32	up 59% (30 Apr 2009)	Hong Kong, Singapore

Summary:

2009 will be remembered as the year in which Eversheds’ Asia strategy finally fell into place. Not only did the firm open two new offices in this period – Singapore and Hong Kong – but it also dipped into the local employment market across Asia in a big way. The firm’s hires in this period include Desmond Ong, banking partners King Tak Fung and Michael Yau, litigation partners Ivan Ng, Ronald Sum and William Leung, and corporate partner Sze Hui Goh – all from DLA Piper. On top of this the firm saw its revenues in the region increase by 59% for the period ending April 2009.

JSM

• Managing partner: Elaine Lo, Asia chair and senior partner
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 78/220
• Asian offices: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Bangkok

	Partners	Fee earners	Office opened
2008	71	213
2009	78	220	Trademark registration office opened in Beijing in early 2009

Summary:

JSM's partner and fee earner growth in this period sees them again in the ALB Fast 30. In 2009 the firm’s partner headcount increased by 9% and its fee earner stocks swelled by just over 4%. In addition to the lateral hire of energy specialist Jack Su from Lovells in late 2008, the firm also relocated two of its partners: Mark Uhrynuk from London in January 2009 and Geofrey Master from Washington DC in October 2009. Elaine Lo was again crowned ‘Managing Partner of the Year’ at the ALB Hong Kong Law Awards for this year, an honour she shared with Baker & McKenzie’s Asia-Pacific Chairman Poh Lee Tan.

K&L Gates

• Managing partner: David Tang
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 21/70
• Asian offices: Beijing, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai

	Partners	Office opened
2008	16	Shanghai
2009	21	Singapore

Summary:

The firm launched its fifth Asia office – and 32nd worldwide – earlier this year when it opened in Singapore under the guidance of former DLA Piper partner Kevin Murphy. On the lateral hire front the firm welcomed Raja Bose as partner. Bose has been charged with the task of launching the firm’s international arbitration practice in Asia. K&L Gates has said they will be looking locally, and internationally, for talent to bring this area to critical mass in 2010.

Norton Rose

• Managing partners: David Stannard, Hong Kong and Asia; Campbell Steedman, Phillip John, Bangkok; Peter Burrows, Beijing; Jim James, Shanghai; Jeff Smith, Singapore; Chris Viner, Tokyo
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 38/130
• Asian offices: Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Jakarta (associate office), Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok

	Partners	Fee earners
2008	30	103
2009	38	130

Summary:

One of six international law firms to be awarded a Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) licence by the Singapore Government to advise on specific commercial Singaporean law matters, Norton Rose has registered impressive growth by all measures this year.  Not only did it bolster its partner numbers by 26%, but also increased its cache of fee earners by the same margin. The firm lured former Barlow Lyde & Gilbert Hong Kong managing partner Camille Jojo to lead its dispute resolution team as well as her team of six associates, and went ‘Down Under’ to bring on board energy specialists Chris Redden (partner; Clayton Utz) and Prasanth Sabeshan (counsel; Freehills). Add to this an impending merger with Deacons Australia, which will give the firm branch offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Ho Chi Minh City and 700 lawyers in Asia-Pacific region alone, and Nortons already looks like a sure thing for the ALB Fast 30 2010.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

• Managing partners: Alan Schiffman – co-head, Asia; leader, Hong Kong and Singapore offices, Jon Christianson – leader, Beijing office, Gregory Miao – leader, Shanghai office, Adrian Deitz – leader, Sydney office, Audrey Sokoloff – leader, Tokyo office,
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 21/114
• Asian offices: Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo

	Partners	Fee earners	Office opened:
2008	16	110
2009	21	114	Shanghai (Feb 2009)

Summary:

US giant Skadden makes its debut in the ALB Fast 30 after an impressive year of growth and expansion. The firm saw its partner numbers swell by 30% in this period, through a mix of lateral hires (a rarity for Skadden) and organic promotions. Julie Gao joined as a partner from Latham & Watkins along with a team of four associates (Will Cao, Peng Jiang, Kenneth Chase and Haiping Li); Rajeev Duggal returned to the firm from Citigroup’s retail business across Asia; while Mark Leemen (Sydney) and Michael Mies (Tokyo) were promoted to partnership in April 2009. The firm also expanded its practice area offering, after relocating Paul Mitchard QC from London to Hong Kong to launch its international arbitration practice. Skadden celebrated 20 years in Hong Kong and Sydney in 2009 which follows last year’s 20th anniversary in Tokyo.

Stephenson Harwood

• Managing partners: Martin Green, Singapore; Voon Keat Lai, Greater China
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 20/48
• Asian offices: Singapore, Hong Kong, Guangzhou , Shanghai

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue
2008	15	43
2009	20	48	up 27% (30 Apr 2009)

Summary:

Another new entrant to the ALB Fast 30, Stephenson Harwood’s partner/fee earner growth – as well as its increased revenue results – means it has well and truly earned its place on our list of Asia’s fastest-growing law firms. Not only did the firm effect significant senior lateral hires in this period but it also significantly expanded its service offering. On the recruitment side, the firm brought on board insurance and reinsurance experts Steven Dewhurst (DLA Piper Hong Kong) and Pierre-Paul Saulou, while also scoring the services of former Clifford Chance lawyer Alex Gordon in August 2009. Paul Ng, formerly of Freshfields, was also employed to lead the firm’s global aviation practice. In addition, the firm elevated Jason Toms and Yeeling Wan, both Hong Kong-based, to its partnership, and appointed nine new lawyers of varying levels of seniority.

Watson, Farley & Williams

• Managing partners: Christopher Lowe, Singapore; Steven Burkill, Bangkok
• Number of partners/other fee earners: 13/31
• Asian offices: Singapore, Bangkok

 

	Partners	Fee earners	Revenue	PEP
2008	9	Singapore: 18 (total fee-earner headcount: 24) Bangkok: 9 (total fee-earner headcount:12)
2009	13	Singapore: 16 (total fee-earner headcount: 26) Bangkok: 15 (total fee-earner headcount: 18)	up 30% (30 Apr 2009)	up 50%

Summary:

Another international debutant in the ALB Fast 30, Watson Farley Williams (WFW) makes this list this year for financial performance that outshines most other international law firms in Asia. Globally the firm saw its taking increase by 25% and its PEP figure jump 30%. On the manpower side the firm made strategic lateral hires – Josh Clarke (Norton Rose) and Chris Muessel (Duane Morris) are two examples. There is also the promise of more growth to come. Watsons revealed to ALB earlier this year that it aims to build critical mass in its Singapore and Bangkok offices in the year ahead. In Bangkok alone, the firm expanded to 18 lawyers and support staff – which include the hire of litigation lawyer Alan Polivnick, three Thai associates and one English lawyer, making it one of the larger international law firms in the Kingdom. ALB

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