12 Asian Legal Business | November 2024 Cover Story 2024 ALB China Top 30 Largest Law Firms 中国最大30家律所 Navigating the contemporary market, law firms see “upscaling” both as an opportunity and a challenge. They need to continue luring top talents to spearhead new growth initiatives, but also be prudent in balancing size and quality. 在当前的市场情况下，“规模化”对律所来说，既意味着机遇，又蕴含着挑战：律所需要继续以增加 优秀人才的方式寻找新的增长点，但也要谨慎把握规模和质量之间的张力。 The application process for the 2024 Asian Legal Business (ALB) China Top 30 Largest Law Firms ranking opened in July, inviting all firms across China to participate. Following a thorough evaluation, ALB is pleased to present this highly anticipated ranking, which is based on each firm’s total number of qualified lawyers (including partners, associates, counsel, consultants, and foreign counsel) as of July 31, 2024. Yingke Law Firm stands out as the sole firm boasting over 10,000 qualified lawyers, while Dacheng Law Offices and Jingsh Law Firm follow with 5,000 to 10,000 qualified lawyers each. Notably, 17 firms now have more than 2,000 qualified lawyers. The threshold for inclusion in the top 30 has risen significantly; the 30th-ranked firm this year has 1,473 qualified lawyers, compared to 961 last year, suggesting that the entry point may soon reach 1,500. This year’s ranking features some changes, with Jingsh, Long An Law Firm, and Duan & Duan returning to the list, and Landing Law Offices making its debut. Twenty-four firms have increased their total number of qualified lawyers, while three firms experienced slight decreases. The composition of the top 10 largest firms remains relatively stable compared to last year. However, more significant shifts in ranking are observed among firms placed 11th to 30th. TianTai Law Firm, SGLA Law Firm, and Hylands Law Firm have made the most substantial gains in their positions. Continuous growth TianTai Law Firm made a significant leap from 22nd to 14th place in this year’s rankings. Zhang He, Director of TianTai’s Management Committee, reported that the firm added over 150 partners and 550 associates in the past year, bringing their total lawyer count to more than 2,300. This impressive growth coincides with TianTai’s 30th anniversary, a notable milestone. However, Zhang He acknowledges that the three-year pandemic and general economic slowdown have created unprecedented challenges for law firms’ growth and lawyers’ business development. “Recognizing our limitations motivates us to excel,” Zhang He states. “We’re focusing on upscaling while also emphasizing standardization and capacity-building. This process has highlighted areas where we lag behind industry leaders and large international firms, particularly in partner team development, cultivating innovative practice areas, digital transformation, international legal services, and integrated development between headquarters and branch offices.” To address these issues, TianTai’s Management Committee implemented targeted reforms over the past year. These include refining partner promotion and recruitment mechanisms, overhauling the firm’s financial accounting system, accelerating digital transformation, and promoting integrated development across all offices. These measures aim to enhance internal control, Ranking by Asian Legal Business, text by Victor Wu 排名：《亚洲法律杂志》，作者：吴嘉林
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