Mayer Brown JSM won three awards at The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2016 on Sept. 9, including the coveted The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky Award Hong Kong Law Firm of the Year accolade.

Held once again at Conrad Hong Kong, ALB’s 15th annual celebration of legal excellence in the jurisdiction was possibly the most open awards to date, with no law firm or in-house team winning in more than three categories. Mayer Brown JSM was also named as the Real Estate Law Firm of the Year and the Litigation Law Firm of the Year, to go with the top law firm award of the evening.

“We are deeply honoured to win the award”, said Terence Tung, senior partner at the firm. “On behalf of Mayer Brown JSM, I would like to thank all our clients who have placed their trust and confidence on us, all our lawyers and staff for their dedication and contribution and ALB and the panel judges for their recognition.  We are and will be committed to do our best for the profession, now and in the future!”  

ALB introduced three new awards on the night, all of which were well-received. Philana Poon, executive director, Legal & Compliance at the Hong Kong Jockey Club was named Woman Lawyer of the Year; Nima Amini, a partner at O’Melveny & Myers, won Young Lawyer of the Year; and specialist criminal defence firm Morley Chow Seto, which was set up in 2014, won Rising Law Firm of the Year.

Other law firms winning key awards included Slaughter and May, which picked up Deal Firm of the Year, and Herbert Smith Freehills, named Arbitration Law Firm of the Year. On the in-house side, local conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings took home two notable awards, including the HKCCA Award Hong Kong In-House Team of the Year, and the In-House Lawyer of the Year for Edith Shih.

Simon Weller of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, named Dealmaker of the Year; and Frances Woo of Appleby, who won Managing Partner of the Year, were other individuals who stood out on the night.

The full list of winners can be found here.

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