Asia Pacific Submissions

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    • Dates and deadlines

    The research schedule and guidelines for Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026 edition are now below.

    Client referees deadline for law firms: Monday 9 June 2025

    Editorial submission deadline for law firms : Monday 9 June 2025

    Client referee and editorial submission deadline for the Bar. Friday 27June 2025

    Follow-up research will start on Monday 30 July 2025

    Publication for China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan: Mid-November 2025

    Publication for the Asia Pacific guide: Mid-January 2026

    The template documents you will need to send submissions are here:

    Submissions Template NB: This template is in .docx format. Do not resave it in any other format as it may not be compatible with our system.
    Submissions Template – India City Focus NB: This template is in .docx format. Do not resave it in any other format as it may not be compatible with our system.
    Client Referee form – Law Firms NB: This template is in .xslx format. Do not resave it in any other format as it may not be compatible with our system.
    Submissions Template – The Bar NB: This template is in .docx format. Do not resave it in any other format as it may not be compatible with our system.
    Referee form – the Bar : This template is in .xslx format. Do not resave it in any other format as it may not be compatible with our system

    To send your submissions to us, please visit submissions.legal500.com and follow the onscreen prompts to send us new documents.

    Login details have been sent to all firms – if you have not received your login or have problems accessing submissions.legal500.com, please get in touch via our FAQ page. 

    Guidelines and supporting information

    Law firm guidelines
    Bar guidelines
    亚太指南申报资料大纲
    Frequently asked questions
    Referees explained
    Law firms practice area definitions
    Individual rankings glossary

    Researchers

    To learn more about the team behind our research, please visit Meet The Legal 500 Team.

    Practice areas

    Regions and practice areas we are researching for Asia Pacific 2026 include:

    LAW FIRMS:

    AUSTRALIA

    • Banking and finance
    • Capital markets: debt
    • Capital markets: equity
    • Capital markets: securitisation
    • Competition and trade
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Data protection and cyber security
    • Dispute resolution: litigation
    • Dispute resolution: arbitration
    • Dispute resolution: class actions
    • Energy (transactions and regulatory)
    • Environment and planning
    • Fintech and financial services regulatory
    • Infrastructure projects and construction
    • Insurance
    • Intellectual property
    • IT and telecoms
    • Labour and employment
    • Labour and employment: workplace health and safety (WHS)
    • Media and entertainment
    • Native title
    • Natural resources (transactions and regulatory)
    • Project finance
    • Real estate
    • Restructuring and insolvency
    • Tax
    • Transport: aviation
    • Transport: shipping
    • White-collar crime

    BANGLADESH

    • Banking and finance
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Dispute resolution
    • Intellectual property
    • Tax

    BRUNEI

    • Leading firms

    CAMBODIA

    • Leading firms

    CHINA

    • Antitrust and competition: PRC firms
    • Antitrust and competition: Foreign firms
    • Banking and finance: PRC firms
    • Banking and finance: Foreign firms
    • Capital markets: PRC firms
    • Corporate and M&A: PRC firms
    • Corporate and M&A: Foreign firms
    • Data protection: PRC firms
    • Data protection: Foreign firms
    • Dispute resolution: Arbitration – PRC firms
    • Dispute resolution: Litigation – PRC firms
    • Dispute resolution: Arbitration – Foreign firms
    • Dispute resolution: Litigation – Foreign firms
    • Fintech: PRC firms
    • Fintech: Foreign firms
    • Insurance: PRC firms
    • Insurance: Foreign firms
    • Intellectual property: Contentious – PRC firms
    • Intellectual property: Non-contentious – PRC firms
    • Intellectual property: Foreign firms
    • Investment funds: PRC firms
    • Investment funds: Foreign firms
    • Labour and employment: PRC firms
    • Labour and employment: Foreign firms
    • Life sciences and healthcare: PRC firms
    • Life sciences and healthcare: Foreign firms
    • Private equity: PRC firms
    • Private equity: Foreign firms
    • Private wealth: PRC firms
    • Projects and energy: PRC firms
    • Projects and energy: Foreign firms
    • Real estate and construction : PRC firms
    • Real estate and construction: foreign firms
    • Regulatory/compliance: PRC firms
    • Regulatory/compliance: Foreign firms
    • Restructuring and insolvency: PRC firms
    • Restructuring and insolvency: Foreign firms
    • Shipping: PRC firms
    • Shipping: Foreign firms
    • Tax: PRC firms
    • Tax: Foreign firms
    • TMT: PRC firms
    • TMT: Foreign firms
    • WTO/international trade: PRC firms

    Regional coverage

    • Other notable firms in Beijing
    • Other notable firms in Shanghai
    • Guangdong Province: Guangzhou and Shenzhen
    • Zhejiang Province: Hangzhou
    • Jiangsu province: Nanjing
    • Shaanxi Province: Xi’An
    • Sichuan province: Chengdu including Chongqing

    HONG KONG

    • Antitrust and competition
    • Asset finance (including aviation and shipping finance)
    • Banking and finance
    • Capital markets: Debt
    • Capital markets: Equity
    • Construction
    • Corporate (including M&A)
    • Data Protection and cyber security
    • Dispute resolution: : Litigation
    • Dispute resolution: International arbitration
    • Domestic and international corporate tax
    • Fintech and financial services regulatory
    • Insurance
    • Intellectual property
    • Investment funds
    • Labour and employment
    • Leading independent Hong Kong law firms
    • Offshore law firms
    • PRC firms in Hong Kong
    • Private equity
    • Private client and family
    • Projects and energy
    • Real estate
    • Regulatory: white-collar, compliance and investigations
    • Restructuring and insolvency
    • Shipping
    • Structured finance and securitisation
    • TMT

    INDIA

    • Antitrust and competition
    • Aviation (including aerospace and defence)
    • Banking and finance
    • Capital markets
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Data protection
    • Dispute resolution: litigation
    • Dispute resolution: arbitration
    • Fintech and financial services regulatory
    • Foreign firms
    • Insurance
    • Intellectual property
      • PATMA: Patent and trade mark attorneys
    • Labour and employment
    • Life sciences and healthcare
    • Private client
    • Private equity funds (including venture capital)
    • Projects and energy
    • Real estate and construction
    • Restructuring and insolvency
    • Shipping
    • Tax
    • TMT
    • WTO/international trade
    • White-collar crime

    City focus – Bengaluru: Leading firms

    City focus – Chennai: Leading firms

    City focus – Hyderabad: Leading firms

    City focus – Kolkata: Leading firms

    City focus – Mumbai

    • Banking and finance
    • Commercial, corporate and M&A
    • Dispute resolution
    • Intellectual property
    • TMT
    • Real estate and construction

    City focus – NCR (Delhi, Gurugram and Noida)

    • Banking and finance
    • Commercial, corporate and M&A
    • Dispute resolution
    • Intellectual property
    • Real estate and construction
    • TMT

    INDONESIA

    • Aviation
    • Antitrust and competition
    • Banking and finance
    • Capital markets
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Dispute resolution
    • Foreign firms
    • Intellectual property
    • Labour and employment
    • Projects and energy
    • Real estate and construction
    • Restructuring and insolvency
    • Shipping
    • Tax
    • TMT including Fintech

    JAPAN

    • Antitrust and competition: International firms and joint ventures
    • Antitrust and competition: Independent local firms
    • Banking and finance : International firms and joint ventures
    • Banking and finance: Independent local firms
    • Capital markets: International firms and joint ventures
    • Capital markets: Independent local firms
    • Corporate and M&A: International firms and joint ventures
    • Corporate and M&A: Independent local firms
    • Dispute resolution: International firms and joint ventures
    • Dispute resolution: Independent local firms
    • Fintech: International Firms and joint ventures
    • Fintech: Independent Local firms
    • Intellectual property: International firms and joint ventures
    • Intellectual property: Independent local firms
    • Investment funds: Foreign firms
    • Investment funds: Independent local firms
    • Labour and employment: International firms and joint ventures
    • Labour and employment: Independent local firms
    • Private wealth: Independent local firms
    • Projects and energy – International firms and joint ventures
    • Projects and energy – Independent local firms
    • Real estate and construction: International firms and joint ventures
    • Real estate and construction: Independent local firms
    • Restructuring and insolvency: International firms and joint ventures
    • Restructuring and insolvency: Independent local firms
    • Risk management and investigations: Independent local firms
    • Shipping: Independent local firms
    • Sport: Independent local firms NEW
    • Tax: International firms and joint ventures
    • Tax: Independent local firms
    • TMT: international firms and joint ventures
    • TMT: independent local firms

    LAOS

    • Leading firms

    MACAU

    • Leading firms

    MALAYSIA

    • Antitrust and competition
    • Banking and finance including Islamic Finance
    • Capital markets
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Dispute resolution
    • Fintech and financial services regulatory
    • Foreign firms
    • Intellectual property
    • Labour and employment
    • Law firms in Sabah and Sarawak
    • Projects and energy
    • Real estate and construction
    • Shipping
    • Tax
    • TMT

    MALDIVES – NEW

    • Leading firms

    MONGOLIA

    • Leading firms

    MYANMAR

    • Corporate and M&A
    • Foreign desks
    • Projects and energy

    NEW ZEALAND

    • Banking and finance
    • Competition law
    • Construction
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Data protection and cyber security
    • Dispute resolution
    • Insurance
    • Intellectual property
    • Investment funds
    • Labour and employment
    • Projects and resource management (including environment)
    • Real estate
    • Restructuring and insolvency
    • Tax
    • TMT
    • Transport (rail, road, air and sea)

    NEPAL

    • Leading firms

    PAKISTAN

    • Banking and finance (including Islamic finance)
    • Capital markets
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Dispute resolution
    • Insurance
    • Intellectual property
    • Labour and employment
    • Projects and energy
    • Real estate and construction
    • Tax
    • TMT

    PAPUA NEW GUINEA

    • Leading firms

    PHILIPPINES

    • Antitrust and competition
    • Banking and finance
    • Capital markets
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Dispute resolution
    • Foreign firms
    • Intellectual property
    • Labour and employment (including immigration)
    • Projects and energy
    • Real estate and construction
    • Tax
    • TMT
    • Transport

    SINGAPORE

    • Asset finance: Foreign firms
    • Antitrust and competition: Local firms
    • Banking and finance: Foreign firms
    • Banking and finance: Local firms
    • Capital markets: Equity and debt – Foreign firms
    • Capital markets: Equity and debt – Local firms
    • Capital markets: Structured finance, derivatives and securitisation – Foreign firms
    • Capital markets: Structured finance, derivatives and securitisation – Local firms
    • Construction: Local firms
    • Construction: foreign firms
    • Corporate and M&A: Foreign firms
    • Corporate and M&A: Local firms
    • Data protection and cyber security: Foreign firm
    • Data protection and cyber security: Local firms
    • Dispute resolution
    • Energy: Foreign firms
    • Fintech and financial services regulatory: Foreign firms
    • Fintech and financial services regulatory: Local firms
    • Insurance: Foreign firms
    • Insurance: Local firms
    • Intellectual property: Local firms
    • International arbitration
    • Investment funds: foreign firms
    • Investment funds:  local firms
    • Labour and employment: Foreign firms
    • Labour and employment: Local firms
    • Offshore law firms
    • Private wealth and family law: Foreign firms
    • Private wealth and family law: Local firms
    • Projects: Foreign firms
    • Projects and energy: Local firms
    • Real estate: Local firms
    • Restructuring and insolvency: Foreign firms
    • Restructuring and insolvency: Local firms
    • Shipping: Foreign firms
    • Shipping: Local firms
    • Start-up and venture capital: Foreign firms
    • Start-up and venture capital: Local firms
    • Tax: Local firms
    • TMT: Foreign firms
    • TMT: Local firms
    • White-collar crime: Foreign firms
    • White-collar crime: Local firms

    SOUTH KOREA

    • Antitrust and competition : Local firms
    • Banking and finance : Local firms
    • Capital markets: Local firms
    • Capital markets: Foreign firms
    • Corporate and M&A: Local firms
    • Corporate and M&A: Foreign firms
    • Dispute resolution: Local firms
    • Fintech and financial services regulatory
    • Insurance: Local firms
    • International arbitration
    • Intellectual property: Local firms
    • Intellectual property: Foreign firms
    • Labour and employment: Local firms
    • Projects and energy: Local firms
    • Projects and energy: Foreign firms
    • Real estate: Local firms
    • Regulatory: White-collar, compliance and investigations: local firms
    • Shipping: Local firms
    • Shipping: Foreign firms
    • Tax: Local firms
    • TMT: Local firms

    SRI LANKA

    • Banking, finance and capital markets
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Dispute resolution
    • Intellectual property
    • Labour and employment
    • Projects and energy
    • Real estate and construction
    • Shipping
    • Tax

    TAIWAN

    • Antitrust and competition
    • Banking and finance
    • Capital markets
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Data protection
    • Dispute resolution
    • Insurance
    • Intellectual property
    • Intellectual property: Prosecution
    • Labour and employment
    • Real estate and construction, projects and energy – RENAMED
    • Shipping
    • Tax
    • TMT

    THAILAND

    • Banking and finance
    • Capital markets
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Customs and international trade
    • Dispute resolution
    • Dispute resolution: International arbitration
    • Insurance
    • Intellectual property
    • Labour and employment
    • Projects and energy
    • Real estate and construction
    • Restructuring and insolvency
    • Transport
    • Tax
    • TMT

    VIETNAM

    • Banking and finance
    • Capital markets
    • Corporate and M&A
    • Data protection
    • Dispute resolution: Litigation
    • Dispute resolution: Arbitration
    • Foreign desks
    • Insurance
    • IP: International firms
    • IP: Local firms
    • Labour and employment
    • Projects and energy
    • Real estate and construction
    • Shipping and aviation
    • Tax
    • TMT

    THE BAR

    AUSTRALIAN BAR

    • Commercial disputes
    • Competition
    • Construction, infrastructure and property
    • Crime and regulatory (including white-collar crime)
    • TMT and IP

    HONG KONG BAR

    • Administrative and public law
    • Commercial disputes
    • Competition
    • Construction and property
    • Family and private client
    • Intellectual property
    • Labour and employment
    • Regulatory, investigations and crime

    The Regional International Arbitration – the Bar sections for barristers have been sunsetted to avoid duplication with the jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction coverage, including in the UK guide.

    International arbitration work is still relevant to sections such as commercial disputes in Hong Kong and Australia. If you wish to make consequential amendments to your written submissions for the International Arbitration sections in the UK guide, please contact Will Tolcher. Coverage of the New Zealand Bar and India: Senior Advocates will not be included in the 2026 edition.