King & Wood Mallesons, Baker & McKenzie and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer won four awards apiece at The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2013, which was held on Sep. 6 at the Conrad Hotel in Hong Kong.
The 12th annual event recognised Hong Kong and North Asia’s best law firms, legal work and lawyers across a total of 37 categories. The evening entertained more than 400 high-profile legal luminaries, including the Guest of Honour, the Hon. Mr. Justice Bokhary.
“I am delighted to be here tonight, as we honour excellence in the legal field,” said Justice Bokhary in his opening address. The law is of vital importance to an organised society, especially like Hong Kong, said Justice Bokhary. “We are part of a free society, where people work hard because they choose to do so.”
Baker & McKenzie won best law firm in several categories, including IT/telecom, tax and trusts and wealth management. Freshfields and King & Wood Mallesons were awarded trophies for the Equity Market Deal of the Year and M&A Deal of the Year - Alibaba.com’s privatisation and Alibaba’s buyback arrangement with Yahoo! Inc. King & Wood Mallesons also won the Debt Market Deal of the Year and Construction Law Firm of the year.
The night also recognised individual excellence, with James Bidlake of Morgan Stanley being crowned the In-House Lawyer of the Year. Freshfields’ Teresa Ko wrapped up a successful evening by winning both the Dealmaker of the Year and Managing Partner of the Year awards.
“I want to thank the Freshfields team for going above and beyond,” said Ko. “Tonight’s awards and deals are living proof that the Hong Kong market is still strong. I hope the market next year is even more active, and its deals more impressive.”
“The record number of nominations received this year reflects the increased investment and commitment companies and law firms have made to growth markets in Asia,” said Andrew Smart, ALB’s managing director. “We have seen a steady flow of new office openings, hiring and innovative transactions. Hong Kong remains a vital hub for these transactions and the expertise needed to complete them, so congratulations are due to all the nominees and winners for their outstanding accomplishments.”
The table below shows the leading winners from the night. For a full list of winners, please click here.
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LEADING WINNERS
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Firm/Company
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No. of awards
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Law Firm Awards/In-House Awards
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Deal Awards
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Freshfields Bruckhaus
Deringer
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4
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· Managing Partner of the Year
· IPP Wealth Advisers Ltd Award Hong Kong Dealmaker of the Year
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· M&A Deal of the Year
· Equity Market Deal of the Year
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Baker & McKenzie
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4
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· Corporate Citizenship / CSR Law Firm of the Year
· IT / Telecoms Law Firm of the Year
· Tax & Trusts Law Firm of the Year
· Wealth Management Law Firm of the Year
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King & Wood Mallesons
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4
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· Construction Law Firm of the Year
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· Debt Market Deal of the Year
· Equity Market Deal of the Year
· M&A Deal of the Year
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Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
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3
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· Investment Funds Firm of the Year
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· Equity Market Deal of the Year
· M&A Deal of the Year
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Mayer Brown JSM
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3
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· Insolvency and Restructuring Law Firm of the Year
· Insurance Law Firm of the Year
· Real Estate Law Firm ofthe Year
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Allen & Overy
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3
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· Debt Market Deal of the Year
· Equity Market Deal of the Year
· M&A Deal of the Year
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