Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

Baker & McKenzie has a strong labour and employment practice, with multi-jurisdictional capabilities across the region and a solid grounding of Chinese and Hong Kong employment law. The firm is used by multinationals to handle multijurisdictional immigration ... [more]

Baker & McKenzie has a strong labour and employment practice, with multi-jurisdictional capabilities across the region and a solid grounding of Chinese and Hong Kong employment law. The firm is used by multinationals to handle multijurisdictional immigration and employment law matters. For example, Morgan Stanley exclusively instructs Bakers on Greater China matters with its employees.

Bakers continues to advise British Telecom in connection with the management of its regional employment portfolio. Bakers’ team advises the telecom company on bonus issues, forced reduction matters and employee transfer work across the region. The firm handles all of BT’s employment law matters across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Andreas Lauffs and Jennifer Van Dale lead the firm’s labour and employment group.

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Paul Hastings has a sterling labour and employment practice, which is led by veteran partner Lesli Ligorner who is also co-head of the firm’s worldwide employment law practice. Ligoner advises multinational corporations on employment law and regulatory ... [more]

Paul Hastings has a sterling labour and employment practice, which is led by veteran partner Lesli Ligorner who is also co-head of the firm’s worldwide employment law practice. Ligoner advises multinational corporations on employment law and regulatory systems in China, and receives praise from peers. “Everybody has a tonne of respect for Leslie,” says one. “She is undoubtedly a market leading lawyer and an authority on Chinese employment law. Her practice would have to be at the top of any employment table.”

Paul Hastings’ practice has a special focus on strategic employment counselling and anti-corruption litigation issues across diverse sectors such as finance, real estate and manufacturing.

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Simmons & Simmons is consistently recognised in the market for its leading labour and employment practice in China and Hong Kong. The firm handles a considerable number of contentious litigation matters including bonus disputes and entitlement issues ... [more]

Simmons & Simmons is consistently recognised in the market for its leading labour and employment practice in China and Hong Kong. The firm handles a considerable number of contentious litigation matters including bonus disputes and entitlement issues as well as harassment and discrimination issues. The firm also advises clients on recruiting, restructurings and operational matters in both jurisdictions.

Simmons particularly advises Chinese clients on compliance issues stemming from the 2008 Labour Contract Law and the terminations of Chinese employees. The firm works with many leading financial institutions, media and telecom companies, utilities, hotels and airlines. The firm also serves as an adviser to other law firms when to comes to their own employment law issues.

Hong Kong-based partners Fiona Loughrey and Robert Lewington are leading lawyers in the practice.

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CMS Legal CMS Legal offers a broad range of advice across all aspects of labour and employment law. The firm represents multinational companies in developing internal systems for their Chinese workers and helping them to understand and comply with Chinese ... [more]

CMS Legal

CMS Legal offers a broad range of advice across all aspects of labour and employment law. The firm represents multinational companies in developing internal systems for their Chinese workers and helping them to understand and comply with Chinese law.

CMS Legal’s labour and employment team recently advised a major German medical equipment maker’s Chinese subsidiaries on labour contract, employee handbook, social security, termination, and visa issues. The work necessitated finding a balance between enforcing company compliance by employees and helping insulate the client against damages resulting from an employee’s breach of confidentiality before termination.

Dewit Law Office

Dewit Law Office offers an array of advisory services on a wide range of employment and labour issues. The partners are experienced at handling all issues of migration, including visas, work licences and permits, and residential permits. Dewit is also adept at drafting and reviewing collective and individual labour contracts as well as confidentiality and non-competition agreements. The dispute resolution team advises clients on labour and employment issues through contentious and non-contentious work.

Garrigues

A small but growing international firm, Garrigues enjoys major relationships with some large Chinese institutions and advises on the full range of labour and employment issues. The firm prepares all of the labour policies for the Bank of China, including contracts and the employee handbook, and provides general advice on labour issues.

This past year, Garrigues advised wind energy company Gamesa on its global employment incentive plan for the PRC. Garrigues has also advised telecom company Telefónica on its implementation of a global performance share plan in China.

Herbert Smith

Herbert Smith’s labour and employment practice advises financial institutions and corporates on employment issues relating to investigations, contract issues, terminations and disputes. The firm’s leading dispute resolution practice helps to protect clients’ interests across a wide range of labour and employment areas.

Hogan Lovells

Hogan Lovells’ employment practice for Greater China is largely based out of Hong Kong, where partners from the firm’s corporate and dispute resolution groups advise clients on contentious and non-contentious matters in China and Hong Kong. The group serves as a resource to advise the firm’s longstanding, established clients on their employment law needs.

Mallesons Stephen Jaques

Mallesons continues to advise clients on matters relating to PRC and Hong Kong labour and employment law. The practice claims to have witnessed Chinese companies and employees becoming bolder with employment law issues, and this has resulted in a greater amount of advisory work for the firm.

Mallesons recently represented an international charitable organisation on a disability and sex discrimination case, and settled the dispute under the Equal Opportunities Comission’s conciliation process. In 2010, the team advised Australia Post on its occupational health and safety procedures for its Chinese operations.

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