Asia Pacific

We opened our first Asia Pacific office in 1980 and have since gone on to build a significant 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 offer 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 2025

Band 1 in Arbitration (International)
Band 1 in Aviation: Finance
Band 1 in Banking & Finance
Band 1 in Capital Markets: Debt
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

"Clifford Chance is well equipped to handle complex and sophisticated matters. It was able to outperform the opposing party's counsel by a mile."
"They have one of the best arbitration teams in Singapore. It's like a well-oiled machine; very thorough and professional."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Arbitration (International)

"They are efficient, on-point, consistent, and offer relatively competitive legal services. Year after year, Clifford Chance does not disappoint."
"Clifford Chance's aviation finance team is very stable and has gained extensive experience in assisting foreign lessor clients in their leasing and financing business in the Chinese market."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Aviation: Finance

"They are my go-to firm by choice and will go the extra mile to find solutions. They are reasonable, commercially minded and exhibit lateral thinking."
"Clifford Chance is technically very strong and the team has a lot of strength and depth, and can tap the broader CC network."
"Clifford Chance provided precise and sophisticated advice to us in a timely manner, which helped to meet our client's expectation."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Banking & Finance

"They understand our business and markets very well, and as such they are able to provide us with practical solutions when we encounter a difficult situation."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Capital Markets, Debt

"We have established a positive and collaborative working relationship with the team and they have consistently provided sound advice as needed. Clifford Chance's constructive suggestions have been helpful in navigating complex legal matters related to bond issuance."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Capital Markets, Equity

"It was a complex exercise, but Clifford Chance handled it exceptionally well, navigating the issues and resolving them with a solution every time."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Capital Markets, Securitisation

"The teamwork is excellent, almost like a family. Every member of Clifford Chance can seamlessly assist us."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Corporate/M&A

"Clifford Chance are good at managing complex projects involving complicated deal structures and various legal areas."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Corporate/M&A: Private Equity

"The firm is able to distil complex matters and provide commercially viable solutions. Clifford Chance's team has consistently provided high-quality advice in a timely manner."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Investment Funds: Hedge Funds

"Clifford Chance is a serious contender in the fund's space, including in setting up GP-led, continuation and secondaries funds."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Investment Funds: Private Equity

"Clifford Chance have very strong ability to handle complex matters. They have a big working team to cover different regions, which can give us full advice on the cases."
"They can provide solutions, think outside of the box and explain legal and financial matters to a wide range of audiences."
"The team were very knowledgeable about key issues and were able to advise lenders based on a strong breadth of knowledge."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Projects & Infrastructure

"They are extremely professional both in terms of engaging with clients and responsiveness, timeliness and quality of output."

Chambers & Partners, Asia Pacific 2024 – Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT)

Awards

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

International Firm of the Year
IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2024
China Practice of the Year
IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2024
M&A Team of the Year
IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2024
Securitisation and Structured Finance Team of the Year
IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2024
Specialist Award: Financial Services Regulatory – International
IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2024
Asia Pacific Law Firm of the Year
Chambers Asia Pacific and Greater China Region Awards 2023
China (International Firms) Corporate & Finance Firm of the Year
Chambers Asia Pacific and Greater China Region Awards 2023
Innovative Law Firm (headquartered outside of Asia Pacific)
FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Asia 2023
Innovative Lawyers in Transforming Industries
FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Asia 2023
Debt And Equity-Linked Capital Markets Team of the Year
IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2023
Specialist Award: Financial Services Regulatory – International
IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2023
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