No. of offices 4 worldwide No. of employees Over 630 Date founded 1851 Headquarters Hong Kong Company type Partnership | No. of attorneys Over 300 Major practice areas Full service Founder William Bridges Founded 1851 | |
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Deacons is Hong Kong's oldest and largest independent, full service top-tier law firm, with three offices in Mainland China, in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. It benefits from the long-established relationships with Hong Kong’s business community, including the HKSAR Government, large local conglomerates such as Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Tsui Wah Holdings Limited and Kerry Logistics Network Limited, and well-known multinational corporation such as McDonald’s Corp., Samsung and Yahoo Inc!. Deacons also has well established relationships with other independent law firms around the world through its membership of international networks of independent law firms such as Lex Mundi, Interlex, World Services Group and Employment Law Alliance.
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The firm is based in Hong Kong and has offices in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. In Hong Kong and China, Deacons provides legal services to a wide range of clients, mainly from medium to large-scale businesses. The firm had its offices in the United States, Australia, Japan, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan, Vietnam and Jarkata in the form of affiliation or joint name.
Until now, it has an office of 6 entire floors in Alexandra House in Central. The office is equipped with internal staircases across different floors and two private elevators exclusively for the use of Deacons. It also extends its office to Sheung Wan.
History
The firm is named for the English solicitor Victor Deacon, who in 1880 joined the legal practice established by William Bridges in 1851 in Hong Kong. Bridges was the second barrister to commence practice in Hong Kong.
Within two years, Victor Deacon was made a partner and within 20 years, under his own name, he had firmly established Deacons as one of the colony's leading law firms, a position it has retained to this day. In 1860, with offices on Queen's Road, the firm was based close to the Supreme Court.
Deacons grew steadily throughout the 20th century, flourishing during Hong Kong's post-war boom. By the mid-1970s, Deacons was a busy, full-service business law firm and a highly respected name in commercial circles throughout Asia. In 1910, the larger firm required bigger office space and Deacons moved to Ice House Street. Since 1985, it has resided in Alexandra House, progressively taking more floor space to accommodate the expanding team of lawyers. Until now, it has an office of 6 floors in Alexandra House. It also has an office in Sheung Wan.
In 1986, Deacons opened an initial presence in the People's Republic of China in Beijing. In 2002, Deacons established a representative office in Beijing and was one of the first Hong Kong law firms to be granted a licence to open a second office in the PRC. In 2005, Deacons became the first firm to be awarded a third foreign law firm licence in mainland China.
In 2016, Deacons celebrates 165 years in Hong Kong.
Practice Areas
Deacons is listed in The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. It is globally ranked to be a top-tier law firm, particularly in Real Estate, Intellectual Property, Investment Funds, and Insurance services.
It has 15 key service areas, including:-
Within these areas, it has over 80 specializations in view of its substantial manpower, such as International Arbitration, Entertainment & Media and Japan Services.
Recognition
Deacons has been awarded for its service, corporate social responsibility (CSR), employee benefits and working environment over the decades. A selection of the most recent awards includes:-