As part of the research process for asialaw Profiles we survey buyers of legal services for their feedback on:

  • Assessment and Rating of law firms and lawyers’ quality of service and work
  • Upcoming market trends

Here is a snapshot of the data for China:

Firm attributes

We ask clients to rate law firms on the following (from 1 poor to 5 excellent):

  • Costs transparency
  • Extensive local/international network
  • Industry sector knowledge
  • Technical ability and innovation
  • Use of technology
  • Value for money
  • Client relationship management
  • Risk management

Best firms on individual attributes
  • Costs transparency: Global Law Office
  • Extensive local/international network: Han Kun Law Offices
  • Industry sector knowledge: Zhong Lun Law Firm
  • Technical ability and innovation: Zhong Lun Law Firm
  • Use of technology: Han Kun Law Offices
  • Value for money: Zhong Lun Law Firm
  • Client relationship management: Zhong Lun Law Firm
  • Risk management: JunHe

Best firms (based on aggregate score)

 

General statistics (all firms)

Highest rated law firm attribute: Client relationship management                           

Lowest rated law firm attribute: Use of technology

 

Lawyer attributes

We ask clients to rate lawyers based on the following attributes (from 1 poor to 5 excellent)::

  • Communication
  • Commercial understanding
  • Country knowledge
  • Industry sector knowledge
  • Listening to and implementing feedback
  • Meeting deadlines
  • Responsiveness and accessibility
  • Technical ability

Best lawyers by law firm (based on aggregate score)

 

General statistics (all lawyers)

Highest rated lawyer attribute: Commercial understanding and Responsiveness

Lowest rated lawyer attribute: Industry Sector Knowledge

 

Market feedback

Topic that concerns clients most

Regulatory or governmental changes


How law firms can assist clients:

  • External counsel can provide legal opinions and advice to help us understand the requirements and changes.
  • Frequent updates
  • Information about changes of laws and regulations which could have an impact to our business
  • Keeping us being promptly informed any relevant regulatory or governmental changes, and giving advice to such change
  • Monthly update newsletters
  • The regulations and policies in China is keep changing. The best way to help us is the firms to understand those updated or newly issued rules better.
  • They can give really quick feedback and safeguard our interests in negotiations.
  • They can provide legal research report to analysis latest legislation and regulations to help us catch up with the new laws.
  • They should build good relationship with regulatory authorities. Thus, they can understand more clearly about what the regulatory authorities really want.
  • To provide our senior management teams with more updated information and organise training sessions to update us on new regulatory changes

 

Which practice area do they anticipate to give more work to external legal counsel in the next 12 months

Corporate/M&A – Most votes

Which practice area do they anticipate to give less work to legal counsel in the next 12 months

Labour & Employment

 

How can law firms improve their service to clients?

  • More face-to-face communication with clients.
  • Improve English communication capacity
  • Improving their overseas network to provide global services
  • Provide secondment service when needed.
  • Keeping clients informed with periodic status reports re pending matter(s).
  • More involvement of in-house for the steps dealing with Chinese enforcement agency
  • Provide illustrative reports to demonstrate their performance.
  • They could do more in sharing their views with the clients.
  • To deliver work in more timely basis