Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Managing Partner: Neil Barr

Number of partners worldwide: 199

Number of other lawyers worldwide: 1145

Languages: Collectively, Davis Polk lawyers speak 52 languages.

Asia-Pacific offices: Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo

International offices: New York, Northern California, Washington DC, São Paulo, London, Brussels, Madrid

Firm overview:

Davis Polk is an elite global law firm with world-class practices across the board. Industry-leading companies and global financial institutions know they can rely on Davis Polk for their most challenging legal and business matters. The firm’s top-flight capabilities are grounded in a distinguished history of 175 years, and its global, forward-looking focus is supported by offices strategically located in the world’s key financial centres and political capitals. The firm’s lawyers collaborate seamlessly across practice groups and geographies to provide clients with exceptional service, sophisticated advice and creative, practical solutions.

Practice areas and industry focuses include antitrust and competition, artificial intelligence, capital markets, civil litigation, cleantech, consumer products and retail, corporate governance, data centers and digital infrastructure, data privacy and cybersecurity, derivatives and structured products, energy, power and infrastructure, environmental, executive compensation, finance, financial institutions, fintech and cryptocurrency, healthcare and life sciences, industrials, investment management, IP and commercial transactions, IP litigation, liability management and special opportunities, mergers and acquisitions, private credit, private equity, private wealth, public company advisory, real estate, restructuring, sponsor finance, sports, tax, tech, media and telecom, transportation and logistics, and white collar defense and investigations. For more information about Davis Polk’s practices, please visit https://www.davispolk.com/capabilities.

In London, the firm operates as Davis Polk & Wardwell London LLP; in Hong Kong, as Davis Polk & Wardwell, Hong Kong Solicitors; in Brussels, as Davis Polk & Wardwell Brussels LLP; and in Brazil, as Davis Polk & Wardwell, Consultores em Direito Estrangeiro/Norte-Americano e Inglês.

Asia practice:

Davis Polk is one of the preeminent global legal advisers in the Asia-Pacific region. With more than 80 lawyers in Asia, including 12 partners, the firm has one of the largest presences of any US firm. From offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo, Davis Polk advises clients from across Asia and around the world on their most complex and innovative transactions, critical investigations, disputes and arbitrations, and challenging regulatory issues. While the firm’s Asia-based teams draw upon deep reserves of firsthand knowledge of local markets, rules and customs, they also maintain direct and dynamic links with partners in New York, London, Washington DC and other key financial and regulatory hubs. Davis Polk’s clients in Asia include companies in all major markets and sectors, governments and government-owned entities, all leading international financial institutions active in Asia and many major Chinese financial institutions.

The Hong Kong office opened in 1993 and is now one of the firm’s largest non-US locations, with more than 50 lawyers. Lawyers in the office are admitted to practice Hong Kong, US and English law. The firm’s Beijing office, which opened in 2007, is another key element of the firm’s highly successful practice in China. Davis Polk has been active in Japan for over 90 years, and its Tokyo office (established in 1987) was among the first Asian offices opened by top Wall Street firms. Davis Polk continues to be among the leading US legal advisers on complex transactions involving Japanese companies and the Japanese marketplace.

Key practice areas:

Capital Markets:

The firm has a leading Asia capital markets practice. Davis Polk acts on some of the region's most sophisticated and innovative transactions, from headline-making IPOs for dynamic young companies to benchmark bond offerings and liability management exercises. The firm regularly appears at the top of the capital markets league tables in Asia and all of its major markets: China, Japan and Southeast Asia.

M&A/Private Equity:

Davis Polk regularly advises companies across Asia, as well as those venturing into the region, on their most important acquisitions, strategic investments and joint ventures. The firm’s private equity lawyers in Asia assist financial institutions and sponsors in making acquisitions and dispositions for their own accounts and for the accounts of funds that they sponsor. Davis Polk’s experience and practice breadth give it sophisticated understanding of the Asia private equity environment.

Litigation, Enforcement & Compliance:

Davis Polk’s Asia litigation, enforcement and compliance practice is highly regarded, and the firm has one of the largest dedicated teams of litigation lawyers on the ground in Hong Kong and Beijing. Core areas in this sphere include regulatory, government and internal investigations, international arbitration and dispute resolution, commercial litigation, white collar defense, fintech matters, corporate governance, transactional due diligence and compliance advice. The firm also has deep local experience in Hong Kong and top-tier US law capability on anticorruption, securities fraud, AML and sanctions issues across Asia.