Executive partner Asia-Pacific, Jim Dunstan, said to win the award “against all the other international firms that operate there is a testament to the skills and expertise that we offer”.

Partner in charge of AAR’s Hong Kong office, Don Hess said client service was a key tenet of the firm’s approach. The award was particularly pleasing, he said, because clients had recognised the firm in what was a “very competitive legal market”.

A recent Hong Kong Trade Development Council study revealed that 40 per cent of all international lawyers in Asia are based in Hong Kong and 70 international firms compete in the Special Administrative Region. In response to the ILO survey, corporate counsel remarked that AAR does not “sit on the fence”, but responds well to time constraints without “any detraction from the thoroughness or overall quality of their work”.