With less than two months to go before the Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2010, the race for the best trophy haul of the night is intensifying, and five firms are finalists in more than ten categories apiece.

Frontruner Baker & McKenzie tops the finalists list with 18 category listings this year. Magic Circle firms Linklaters and Clifford Chance are both finalists in 10 and 12 categories respectively, having worked on many big deals, including the Mitsui & Co- TPV Technologies deal in the M&A category and the HSBC RMB Bond issue deal in the debt market category. The two firms are competing against each other in the dispute resolution, employment, insolvency, investment funds and Hong Kong Law Firm of the Year categories.

Hong Kong’s oldest and largest independent commercial law firm Deacons and international firm Freshfields are both finalists in 11 categories each.

As well as recognising the excellence among the Hong Kong legal community, the Awards also covers Korea and Taiwan. Kim & Chang is hoping to win Korean Deal of the Year for the third time running and is a finalist in two other categories- Project Finance and Korea Deal of the Year.

Meanwhile, in the Taiwan Deal Firm of the year category, last year’s winner Lee and Li will need to beat five other finalists, including Tsar & Tsai and LCS & Partners, to retain the trophy this year.

The ALB Awards will be presided over by two guests-of-honour – chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges, Charles Li, as well as the chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Russell Coleman.

 Now in its ninth successful year, The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2010 recognises the excellence and outstanding achievements of Hong Kong’s leading law firms and in-house legal teams as well as the top deals and dealmakers of financial year 2009-2010. It will be attended by over 400 of Hong Kong’s most influential solicitors, in-house counsel, investment bankers, judiciary and CEOs, who assemble to celebrate with the winners as they accept their awards on stage.

For more information, see ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2010