For the third consecutive year, Baker McKenzie is the top law firm brand in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the 2019 Asia Pacific Law Firm Brand Index published by U.K.-based market research firm Acritas.

The global firm's brand has been ranked top in the region by Acritas since 2017.

"Awareness and favourability growth in China and Hong Kong have been crucial to gaining such a lead at the top of the table for the firm," the report says of the Baker McKenzie brand.

In May, Baker McKenzie's Chinese alliance firm FenXun Partners grew to more than 100 lawyers, including 20 partners, with the addition of an eight-lawyer finance team from Zhong Lun Law Firm. FenXun has tripled in size since 2015, when it formed the alliance with Baker McKenzie under a special programme in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

However, Baker McKenzie has been struggling in Myanmar, significantly reducing the size of its office in Yangon after a string of partner departures, including office head Jo Daniels.

The rest of the top six also remained unchanged from last year's ranking, with King & Wood Mallesons, Herbert Smith Freehills, Clifford Chance, Chinese firm JunHe and Korea's Kim & Chang at second to sixth places, respectively.

Acritas rankings - Asia

This year saw Ashurst and Zhong Lun both rise to seventh, tied with Japanese firm Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, which moved up from 10th last year. Ashurst, which ranked fifth in 2017, jumped up from 12th last year, thanks to strong growth in brand awareness in Hong Kong and consideration for top-level work in Australia, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Australia's MinterEllison fell from seventh to 10th, and Japan's Nishimura & Asahi, India's Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co and DLA Piper all dropped out of the top 10 this year.

Acritas said the 2019 index was based on the responses of 489 Asia-Pacific-based senior in-house lawyers from organisations with more than $50 million in annual revenue. The research firm also asked an additional 413 senior in-house counsel from companies with $1 billion annual revenue or more, about their legal needs in seven Asian markets other than their base.

The research firm said all interview respondents were drawn from its own database of in-house counsel contacts and said the research was not influenced by law firms. Acritas counts Baker McKenzie, King & Wood Mallesons, Ashurst and Lex Mundi, an international referral network whose member firms include JunHe and Shardul Amarchand, as clients.

In-house lawyers were asked until the end of May about their awareness of and favourability toward law firms, their consideration of firms for top-level litigation and major mergers and acquisitions, and their use of firms for high-value work.

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Baker McKenzie Is Top Asia-Pacific Law Firm Brand, Report Says