汤森路透于近期发布了今年度区域律师事务所品牌指数榜单（Regional Law Firm Brand Indexes 2022），伴随客户愈发重视律所布局全球、服务当地的综合性能力，今年的亚太区排名也出现了有趣的变化。
与往年相同，今年的亚太地区律师事务所品牌指数基于377份访谈得出，被访者被问及七个问题，分别涉及律所认知度、喜爱度、委托高端诉讼的可能性、委托重要并购交易的可能性、委托多法域诉讼的可能性、委托多法域交易的可能性，以及委托高端业务的频繁程度。
今年的榜首位置出现了细微变化：贝克·麦坚时国际律师事务所重新回归首位。该所在跨境交易、跨境诉讼中的得分都位列第一，且超越第二名2-3倍之多。可见其跨区域布局策略，既联络全球又深刻服务当地的能力得到了广泛认可。
今年位列二、三的是金杜律师事务所和史密夫斐尔律师事务所。金杜在品牌喜爱度方面得分最高，客户委托其展开高端业务的频率也最高。史密夫斐尔则由于深刻了解客户所在产业及战略目标而深受喜爱。
中国君合律师事务所、中伦律师事务所位列第四及第五位，客户在调研中反复提及他们“无懈可击的服务”。
今年排名变化最大的律所之一是高伟绅律师事务所，其向上攀升11位，来到第七名。过去一年高伟绅体现出卓越的专业能力、一流的服务，以及全球协同能力，声誉倍增。
大成律师事务所同样排名第七。方达律师事务所上升4位，来到第十名；锦天城律师事务所上升18位，来到第十六名。值得注意的是，部分国际律所今年的排名都有所下降。
调研指出，亚太区复杂的监管环境催生了大量法律需求，亚太区的总法律顾问希望寻找战略伙伴，帮助他们识别并管理这些跨境挑战。
此外，在巨大的不确定中，客户会选择能给他们带来安全感和安慰感的伙伴。此外客户对于专业性的需求飞增，他们希望自己的律所了解所在行业的最新动向，是某领域中绝对的专家。最后，客户不仅在乎律所的全球布局，也在乎其是否是当地市场老手。
您可点击此处阅读或下载完整调研。
Thomson Reuters releases 2022’s Regional Law Firm Brand Indexes
Thomson Reuters has released its latest Regional Law Firm Brand Indexes and the Asia Pacific section shows interesting changes as clients are paying more attention to a firm’s combined capability to serve both regionally and internationally.
As in previous years, the Asia-Pacific Law Firm Brand Index is compiled of 377 interviews by asking each seven questions, namely top of mind awareness, favorability, consideration for top-level litigation, consideration for major M&A work, consideration for multi-jurisdictional litigation work, consideration for multi-jurisdictional deals, and most used for high-value work.
There was a slight reshuffle at the top of the 2022 Asia-Pacific Brand Index as Baker McKenzie regained the top position. The firm received three times the number of points for cross-border deal consideration than the next closest firm, and twice the number of points than the next closest firm for multi-jurisdictional litigation. The ability to deliver that pan-regional promise of a connected global experience with deep local knowledge has put the firm at the top of the Index this year.
The two other firms in the Top 3 of the Index are King & Wood Mallesons and Herbert Smith Freehills, ranked second and third, respectively. King & Wood Mallesons generated the highest levels of brand favorability and also was used more by clients for high-value work than any other firm in this year’s Index. Herbert Smith Freehills’ understanding of clients’ sectors and strategic goals has been a big point of differentiation for the firm across the region.
Chinese law firm heavyweights JunHe and Zhong Lun were ranked in fourth and fifth place, respectively, and both firms were cited by clients for their impeccable service.
The biggest mover of this year’s Index was Clifford Chance, which climbed 11 positions to reach the seventh-place ranking. Over the past year, Clifford Chance had positioned itself of having a reputation for incredible technical specialty along with first-class service and a coordinated, consistent global promise.
Dentons was ranked equally in the seventh place. Fangda Partners climbed four positions and AllBright Law Offices climbed 18 ones, they were ranked tenth and sixteenth, respectively. It is worth noting that several international firms all saw slight decreases in this year’s index.
The research points out that one of the big strategic challenges driving legal demand in the Asia-Pacific region is the changing complex regulatory environment in which global clients are operating, therefore Asia-Pacific-based general counsel are looking for strategic partners who can help identify and manage these challenges across boundaries.
Moreover, clients gravitated to the firms that they felt provided them with a sense of comfort and safety in a time of massive uncertainty. The researchers have also seen technical specialty grow in significance as clients want to know that their firms are on top of all the latest developments and are the definitive experts in their field. The other significant shift is the increasing significance of both global coverage and local market knowledge.
Click here to read/download the full Index.