Asia Pacific

We opened our first Asia Pacific office in 1980 and have since gone on to build a significant market-leading presence in the region. Our 400-plus lawyers advise clients on the full range of business law for their regional and international activities.

Our Asia Pacific network began with our Hong Kong and Singapore offices which opened in 1980 and 1981 respectively. Since then, we've invested to keep pace with our clients' businesses and worked on opportunities both within and beyond the region.

We now have seven offices in four Asia Pacific countries. These include Beijing (1985) and Shanghai (1993), Tokyo (1987), Sydney and Perth (2011). In other countries where we don’t have offices, we have close working relationships with local law firms. This gives us a cost-effective way to deliver results for clients in every country in the region.

Multi-jurisdictional teams with a dedicated ASEAN focus

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) offers huge opportunities for investors. The ten country bloc – Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Brunei, Laos the Philippines and Cambodia – is one of the fastest growing regions in the world.

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) was set up in 2015. It is built to create a single market across ASEAN nations. With the AEC beginning to emerge, we are one of the few firms with a dedicated taskforce of partners and associates focusing on industry trends, opportunities and challenges for clients in the ASEAN region. Our Country Focus Groups for Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, include teams of lawyers based in all our practice areas and offices worldwide. These teams pool their knowhow and expertise for issues involving ASEAN jurisdictions.

Recent highlights

Directory and client comments

Directory Listings

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2023

Band 1 in Aviation: Finance
Band 1 in Banking & Finance
Band 1 in Capital Markets: Debt
Band 1 in Capital Markets: Derivatives & Structured Products
Band 1 in Capital Markets: Equity
Band 1 in Capital Markets: Securitisation
Band 1 in Corporate/M&A
Band 1 in Corporate/M&A: Private Equity
Band 1 in Investment Funds: Hedge Funds
Band 1 in Investment Funds: Private Equity
Band 1 in Investment Funds: Registered Funds
Band 1 in Projects & Infrastructure

Client comments

"The team is very strong, with great attention to detail and a clear focus on the important issues."
"The team are experienced in the commercial requirements with a great understanding of the dispute pain points. They are able to guide us to ease the process."
"The Clifford Chance team has demonstrated strong legal strength throughout the entire arbitration case. It clarified multiple complex issues and helped clients gain key information in the process."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2023 – Arbitration

"With the Clifford Chance Australian team, I find they strike the right balance between legal advice and possible or likely commercial outcomes. They can be left alone to complete all task requests and consistently deliver well ahead of expected time frames. In addition, I often encounter the Clifford Chance team pre-empting requirements and making inbound enquiries on strategy and approach."
"The team is prompt and reliable. It is able to work through issues and come up with appropriate solutions."
"Clifford Chance have very strong capability in handling complex matters. The team shows good communication skills in understanding our business logic throughout negotiations."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2023 – Banking & Finance

"Clifford Chance is a convenient choice for multi-jurisdictional work as they have their own firms in different locations. They also function as a full-service firm."
"The team's commercial awareness was extraordinary. It consisted of partners, senior associates and associates who are qualified in various jurisdictions, with expertise in capital markets legal matters."
"Clifford Chance have helped us with a complex IPO and we are happy with them."
"They provide practical legal advice and suggest solutions from the client’s perspective."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2023 – Capital Markets

"Clifford Chance has an experienced team with deep understanding of customer needs; theteam is willing to spend time with clients to discuss solutions to their goals."
"The lawyers are quick to understand the commercials of the matter andthat understanding helps the handholding of the transaction."
"Clifford Chance are fantastic when it comes to theirresponsiveness, depth of experience and their ability to support during complex M&A transactions." "The team's depth ofexperience and breadth of deals worked on are evident."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2023 – Corporate/M&A

"The team is able to provide sound solutions to practical problems."
"These deals are inherently complex and Clifford Chance have provided us with thoughtful advice."
"The partners in charge are very knowledgeable and helpful in providing alternatives to consider."
"The team is commercial, practical, responsive and friendly."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2023 – Investment Funds: Private Equity, Hedge Funds, Registered Funds

"Clifford Chance is uniquely qualified to handle complex and sophisticated matters, presenting to clients in a simple and non-sophisticated manner."
"The team has a strong understanding of international project finance transactions and market standards, and is able to guide us effectively."
"Their team is first-class."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2023 – Projects & Infrastructure

Awards

Our teams of talented lawyers have won us a string of awards that include:

International Firm of the Year
China Law and Practice Awards 2022
Competition International Firm of the Year
China Law and Practice Awards 2022
Aviation Law Firm of the Year
Asian Legal Business Hong Kong Law Awards 2022
Investment Funds Law Firm of the Year
Asian Legal Business Hong Kong Law Awards 2022
M&A International Firm of the Year
China Law and Practice Awards 2022
TMT International Firm of the Year
China Law and Practice Awards 2022
International Firm of the Year
IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2022
China (International Firms) Corporate & Finance Firm of the Year
Chambers Asia Pacific Awards 2021
Singapore Corporate & Finance International Law Advisers
Chambers Asia Pacific Awards 2021
Asia Pacific Law Firm of the Year
Chambers Asia Pacific Awards 2020
China practice of the year - International law firm
IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2020