Law firm consolidation continues to shape Asia's legal market. This year's Asia 50, our annual ranking of the largest firms in the Asia-Pacific region, highlights the growth of firms joining forces to create larger regional or even international players. It also indicates how some firms are evolving some years after big mergers.

Overall, the survey recorded solid growth in 2013, the year for which data was collected. Total head count at Asia 50 firms grew 6.1 percent to 33,028 lawyers, with a few firms making more dramatic jumps. On a country-by-country basis, China-based firms registered the most growth, 11 percent, with 17 firms making it to the top 50. Korea and India-based firms expanded by 6.8 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively, although the growth was largely driven by one or two leaders in each market. In India, Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co. saw its lawyer numbers increase by 26 percent; in Korea, Yulchon grew by 14.3 percent and Kim & Chang by 8.3 percent.

The Asia 50
The 10 largest firms in Asia have either Chinese or Australian roots. King & Wood Mallesons has both.

International Firms in Asia
U.S. and U.K. firms overwhelmingly dominate the list of foreign firms with the biggest offices in the Asia-Pacific region.

Biggest Footprints
The 25 law firms—indigenous and others—with the most lawyers in the Asia-Pacific region.

To compile the Asia 50, firms based in the Asia-Pacific region are asked to provide full-time lawyer equivalents (FTEs) for the preceding calendar year. Only qualified lawyers, not trainees or contract lawyers, are included. We also compile data on the Asia-Pacific offices of international firms. For U.S. firms, we rely on numbers from The NLJ 350, an annual survey carried out by our sibling publication The National Law Journal; we survey non-U.S. international firms directly to collect head counts for their Asia-Pacific offices.