Established in 1889, Slaughter and May is a London-based “magic circle” law firm with 560 lawyers across additional offices in Brussels, Beijing and Hong Kong.Compared to similar firms of its stature, the firm has a minimal overseas presence, relying instead on relationships with local law firms for its international practice.  

The firm became the first London law firm to establish an office in Hong Kong when it opened in 1974. It can practise English and Hong Kong law and provide US securities law capability for capital markets transactions. 

Focusses / specialisms  

The firm is well known for its M&A practice in Hong Kong. Its corporate practice is renowned for public takeovers, mergers and private acquisitions and it has strong banking, capital markets, finance and regulatory practices.  

It is unique in Hong Kong’s legal market as it has no hourly or billing targets for its lawyers and takes a multi-specialist approach to developing its lawyers in a collegiate atmosphere. 

Key clients 

Key clients of the firm include Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, China National Building Material Company, China Resources, CITIC Group, Alibaba, FWD, Prudential, Prada, Huaneng Power International and MTR Corporation. 

Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023) 

Financial services regulatory 

"Super-responsive.Excellent, succinct, on-point legal advice.Academically sound but practical advice that does not need further filter/interpretation for the business.” 

M&A 

“They provided us with high-quality services and overall advice on these complicated projects.”