King & Wood Mallesons was the biggest winner at the annual ALB China Law Awards after picking up nine gongs, including Managing Partner of the Year and China Law Firm of the Year, with Zhong Lun receiving five awards.
The awards were handed out at a gala ceremony at the Park Hyatt Beijing on April 24. King & Wood Mallesons also won the China Deal Maker of the Year award and the Firm of the Year for Antitrust, Banking, International Arbitration and Intellectual Property. “We are lucky to win these many awards, and are proud to have worked hard enough to earn them,” said Zhu Nongfan, Beijing partner at KWM.
Zhong Lun’s haul included the Beijing Law Firm of the Year award. “We are grateful to win this important award. And we didn’t win it by chance. It is a result of the joint effort of all Zhong Lun people,” said Zhu Maoyuan, a partner at Zhong Lun.
JunHe, meanwhile, received four awards, validating its prowess in the areas of tax, employment and M&A/PE. Of the international firms, Clifford Chance picked up two high-profile awards in the form of the International Law Firm of the Year and International Dealmaker of the Year awards.
At the in-house end, Alibaba Group won the Innovative In-House Team of the Year prize as well as the China Private-Owned Company In-House Team of the Year award.
“The winners all deserve it. And for those firms and in-house teams that did not win, their achievements and reputation are also highly regarded by the whole industry,” commented Hong Yuwen, General Legal Counsel of the China National Aviation Fuel Logistics Corp, and a member of the judging panel.
More than 250 representatives from top law firms, companies and financial institutions in China and beyond attended the event, where awards were given out in 39 categories.
The guest of honour was Professor Wan Meng, Dean of the Law School at Beijing Foreign University. “To each of the selected nominees, you honour all of us for the work you have done,” he said. “We recognise you with much pride and appreciation for the profound contribution you make, especially as what you do allows China to move closer to the reality of being a global partner kin a global community.”
“The awards highlight the expertise demonstrated by the legal industry as China continues to expand its leadership in the global economy,” said Andrew Smart, Managing Director of Thomson Reuters’ Legal Media Group. “The ALB China Law Awards honours these accomplishments and provides for a well-earned evening of celebration and networking. Congratulations are due to the finalists and winners for their outstanding contributions to the Chinese economy.”
The full list of winners of the 2014 ALB China Law Awards can be found here.
2014年度中国法律大奖揭晓
金杜律师事务所在摘取年度最佳管理合伙人和年度最佳中国律师事务所等九项大奖后，成为2014年度ALB中国法律大奖的最大赢家。中伦律师事务所紧随其后，收获五项大奖。
4月24日，2014年中国法律大奖在北京柏悦酒店举行了盛大的颁奖仪式。除上述奖项外，金杜还荣获了年度中国最佳交易律师和反垄断、银行业、国际仲裁和知识产权领域的年度最佳律师事务所大奖。“能赢得这么多奖项，我们感到很幸运，同时也对我们所付出的辛勤努力感到自豪。”金杜的合伙人竺农范说。
中伦律师事务所所获的奖项包括年度北京律师事务所。“我们很荣幸能获得这么重要的奖项。获奖并非偶然，这是所有中伦人共同努力的结果。”中伦的合伙人朱茂元说。
此外，君合律师事务所斩获四项大奖，证明了其在税务、就业劳动和并购/私募股权领域的非凡实力。外资所方面，高伟绅律师事务所摘取两个重要类别奖项，分别是年度最佳国际律师事务所和年度最佳国际交易律师。
在公司法务领域，阿里巴巴集团荣膺年度最具创新力公司法务组和年度最佳中国民营企业公司法务组。
“今年的获奖者都是实至名归。还有更多的律所和公司，因为名额有限未能获奖，但业界对他们的成就和声望也是非常认可的。”中国航油集团物流有限公司总法律顾问，同时也是本次大奖评审之一的洪育文说道。
来自中国境内外顶级律所、企业和金融机构的250多名代表参加了此次评奖，活动共颁发了39个类别的奖项。
特邀颁奖嘉宾之一为北京外国语大学法学院院长万猛。 “每一位被提名者，你们所做的杰出工作给我们所有人带来了荣耀。”万猛说，“我们怀着无比的骄傲和感激的心情，表彰你们做出的具有深远意义的贡献，因为你们的工作使中国更加接近成为在全球社区的一个全球合作伙伴的现实。”
“随着中国不断扩大其在全球经济中的领导地位，这些奖项展示了法律行业所体现出的专业能力。”汤森路透法律传媒集团董事总经理Andrew Smart说，“ALB中国法律大奖旨在表彰这些成就，同时给业界提供一个庆祝和交流的美好夜晚。我们向对中国经济作出杰出贡献的入围及得奖者表示衷心的祝贺。”
如欲查看2014年ALB中国法律大奖的完整获奖者名单，请点击这里。