Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers illustration
© Martin O’Neill

I am delighted to introduce the first Financial Times Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers Report. This series of special reports, incorporating our unique rankings of law firms that have brought original thinking and practices to business issues, is already well established in Europe and the US. Now we are bringing it to what is the most dynamic, and sometimes most challenging, business and legal environment in the world.

Nowhere else is the role of lawyers changing so fast. In countries as diverse as India, Japan, Singapore and China, lawyers are becoming more central to the way business is done. Legal frameworks are radically different across the Asia-Pacific region. Many law firms, however, are seeking to develop regional practices capable of working across jurisdictions. They are also matching the shifting business and regional architecture as groupings such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) take on a more coherent form.

As the region’s business environment changes by leaps and bounds, it is constantly opening up new frontiers. That requires law firms to do the same, developing new solutions to match business opportunities that are often brand new.

Outbound mergers and acquisitions from the Asia-Pacific region, whether from China, Japan, South Korea or elsewhere, are also creating fresh opportunities. As regional companies seek acquisitions outside their home territory, Asian law firms are increasingly loathe to let that business go to international legal companies. That rivalry between “local” and international law firms is ripe ground for innovation and the development of new value-added practices.

The FT Innovative Lawyers report, in partnership with RSG Consulting, prides itself on the thoroughness of its research and the robust methodology it brings to these rankings. We trust that this, our initial report for this region, will shed fresh light on this fascinating, but often neglected, corner of the Asian Century.

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