The Legal Tenant
Explore APAC Deal Summary
The Legal Tenant is our hub for occupier services, offering commercial real estate articles and research from experts offering industry-leading advice and analysis specifically for law firms.
What our experts say
We have reached out to our broker community in key legal markets across APAC and consolidated here some of the more recent and/or significant transactional activity within the legal occupier space in region. Separately, we have asked our Savills experts to share their thoughts and observations on legal sector activity across workplace, project management and real estate.
*Information represented is available in the public domain/has been gathered from the market. Whilst we have made reasonable attempts to verify we do not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the information presented.
Legal Tenant:
APAC Deal Summary
Shearman Sterling
Renewal
700 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal & Expansion
537 sqm
Kirkland & Ellis
Market Report
2,900 sqm
Clifford Chance
Renewal
4,000 sqm
Allen & Gledhill
Renewal
10,000 sqm
Dentons
Renewal
3,500 sqm
Withers
Renewal
2,600 sqm
Lee & Lee
Relocation
3,000 sqm
Allbright Law Office
Renew
2,300 sqm
Jin Mao Law
Relocation
2,500 sqm
Han Kun Law
Renewal & Expansion
6,000 sqm
Covington & Burling
Renew
1,200 sqm
Sloma
Renew
1,400 sqm
Singapore
Hopgood Ganim
Relocation (2025)
4,800 sqm
King & Wood Mallesons
Renewal (2022)
2,700 sqm
Gadens
Relocation (2027)
5,000 sqm
Linklaters
Relocation
+/- 600 sqm
Herbert Smith Freehills
Relocation (2023)
6,000 sqm
Minter Ellison
Relocation (2023)
2,000 sqm
Haigh Lyon
Relocation
803 sqm
Bell Gully
Relocation (2023)
4,175 sqm
AUCKLAND
SLF Lawyers
Renewal
926 sqm
Best Hooper Lawyers
Relocation
518 sqm
The legal sector has been exposed to dramatic change over the last five years. Technology has enabled cross ...
Read More
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company (Hong Kong)
Read More
The future for the legal sector is not what it was 10 years ago. To stay competitive in today’s
environment ...
Simon Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Read More
Talking with legal sector tenants with presence across APAC we see a definite and sustained trend towards a ...
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC (Hong Kong)
Read More
As Singapore completely opens up and rescinds the last of restrictions, legal firms are starting to
embrace ...
Ashley Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Read More
Like most global markets the issue with legal firms in Australia is attracting staff back to the office on a more permanent ...
Mark Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Read More
Activity in the legal sector in Hong Kong has been relatively muted of recent times with little in the way of significant ...
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
The legal sector has been exposed to dramatic change over the last five years. Technology has enabled cross border delivery, challenging the traditional structure of lawyers in-country for certain practice groups. Traditionally, the legal office has relied on private offices for partners. This costs significantly in $/Sq.ft. (increasing footprint) whilst decreasing flexibility (promotion = new private office). Covid has driven a Work from Home policy for numerous practices, bringing in to question the idea of space being provided based on seniority. However the need to attract talent defaults numerous firms to a Private Office model. Whilst some firms have embraced a new environment others have chosen to remain in traditional settings. No right answers exist. What is unquestionable however is that the requirement for concentration and focus space is as prevalent now as it was before. Added to that is the rise of remote client and staff interactions through Zoom or Teams calls and we see the creation of bespoke/dedicated spaces for this purpose. The intersection of concentration and collaboration/ teaming spaces creates competing demands which will ultimately play out towards a new model. A few firms have embraced an idea of agility, aligning space with business need, however they tend to remain on the margins. The need for significant client interface meeting and seminar space in-office has diminished. Whether this demand reintroduces itself is yet to be seen. This was a key branding component for numerous firms and the inflexibility of real estate timing is a challenge. A number of firms are looking to consolidate within their existing footprints and release space to reduce cost.
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director, Merx a Savills Company (Hong Kong)
“The future for the legal sector is not what it was 10 years ago. To stay competitive in today’s environment, firms must adapt, evolve and improve.
Many Legal Sector occupiers are starting to look at using their space as a catalyst for change and growth during an unprecedented time, specifically focusing on three key areas:
DESTINATION WORKPLACES - Law practices must make the office a place where people want to be to not only bring employees back to the office, but also retain top talent. This includes allowing choices in activity-based settings, promoting collaboration and mentorship of younger lawyers and associates, embracing future-state technology solutions not available at home, and finally, providing amenities and space which encourage cross-selling.
FLEXIBILITY - It is important that law practices are encouraging individual growth and fulfillment, while also prioritising employee well-being through an inclusive and technology-focused workplace. It is also essential that practices are addressing the impact of long-term real estate lease obligations by ensuring flexibility in their lease terms.
HYBRID WORK - Hybrid work is here to stay. To retain and recruit talent, legal practices must accommodate flexibility requests while also providing settings in the office to support activities which can’t be accomplished at home, such as collaborative brainstorming. This means that practices must provide amenities and attributes which promote remote employees to come to the office at certain times.
Simon Raper
Director, Head of Workplace, APAC (Singapore)
Talking with legal sector tenants with presence across APAC we see a definite and sustained trend towards a return to office – with typical office occupancy levels across the sector reaching 70-80% of that pre-pandemic. Hybrid working models are becoming more accepted across an industry previously defined by inflexibility, long office hours and a challenging work life balance. The response from a workplace perspective has been far from uniform however. Whilst legal tenants – just like occupiers everywhere – are working through their own solutions to the complex question of how to make their workplaces most productive and introduce different spaces and working styles into the office environment, we do note that there is some divergence in approach between those firms that have centralised real estate and operations teams to drive these changes and those that have more traditional and localised partnership structures. To draw the distinction more finely, for some firms the concept of providing more open, engaging, varied and collaborative work environments has been embraced as part of a whole of business program of cultural change and perceived as very much a positive for talent attraction and retention. For others, the opposite is equally true with these firms looking to ‘double down’ on the type of cellular office designs that are most commonly identified with the sector. They have an entrenched and deeply held view that the private office is something that staff (particularly senior staff) highly value and, even in high cost real estate markets, are reluctant to move away from. Critically, these firms often have an alternative view that this traditional workplace approach is actually something that is more closely aligned with their target talent pool and is an important factor in providing continuity and vital tool in retailing key staff. Whilst there are some differing views on the workplace approach and speed with which the sector is moving towards alternative models, there is a general consensus across the board around the continuing desire for leading law firms to be located centrally in prime buildings, clustered together with their peers and key clients with all of the surrounding amenity and alignment with brand image that this brings.
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC (Hong Kong)
As Singapore completely opens up and rescinds the last of restrictions, legal firms are starting to embrace a more open way of working, but are grappling with how to attract staff back to the office. Having invested heavily in technology due to the pandemic, the added mobility has resulted in office usage hovering around 50-60%. Most of the firms we are working with are in the process of evaluating their office space needs, not only in terms of desk space, but other uses such as collaboration space and storage.
Ashley Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Like most global markets the issue with legal firms in Australia is attracting staff back to the office on a more permanent basis. We have not seen any trends relating to downsizing so the legal sector continue to lease the same sort of footprint it is just occupancy of staff that is down. A significant number of firms committed to new space prior to, or just at the beginning of the pandemic so are locked into longer term leases.
Mark Smith
National Head, Occupier Services (Australia)
Activity in the legal sector in Hong Kong has been relatively muted of recent times with little in the way of significant moves and deal activity. Most of the larger firms appear to be well placed for the moment sitting on long term lease commitments. Anecdotally we know that whilst many firms are looking critically at their experience during Covid with working from home and flexible arrangements and looking at how this would work into their future accommodation and HR plans, a clear preference for dedicated desk space and private office layouts still predominates in Hong Kong. The dynamics of the broader Hong Kong commercial leasing market defined as it is by forecast falling rents and increasing supply over the next several years – including in the Central district which remains the preferred location for law firms – might mean that we see some firms looking to take advantage of the favourable/ tenant friendly market conditions.“
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager, Office Leasing (Hong Kong)
What our experts say
“As Singapore completely opens up and rescinds the last of restrictions, legal firms are starting to embrace a more open way of working, but are grappling with how to attract staff back to the office. Having invested heavily in technology due to the pandemic, the added mobility has resulted in office usage hovering around 50-60%. Most of the firms we are working with are in the process of evaluating their office space needs, not only in terms of desk space, but other uses such as collaboration space and storage.”
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Global Occupier Services, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
“Talking with legal sector tenants with presence across APAC we see a definite and sustained trend towards a return to office – with typical office occupancy levels across the sector reaching 70-80% of that pre-pandemic. Hybrid working models are becoming more accepted across an industry previously defined by inflexibility, long office hours and a challenging work life balance. The response from a workplace perspective has been far from uniform however. Whilst legal tenants – just like occupiers everywhere – are working through their own solutions to the complex question of how to make their workplaces most productive and introduce different spaces and working styles into the office environment, we do note that there is some divergence in approach between those firms that have centralised real estate and operations teams to drive these changes and those that have more traditional and localised partnership structures.
To draw the distinction more finely, for some firms the concept of providing more open, engaging, varied and collaborative work environments has been embraced as part of a whole of business program of cultural change and perceived as very much a positive for talent attraction and retention. For others, the opposite is equally true with these firms looking to ‘double down’ on the type of cellular office designs that are most commonly identified with the sector. They have an entrenched and deeply held view that the private office is something that staff (particularly senior staff) highly value and, even in high cost real estate markets, are reluctant to move away from. Critically, these firms often have an alternative view that this traditional workplace approach is actually something that is more closely aligned with their target talent pool and is an important factor in providing continuity and a vital tool in retaining key staff.
Whilst there are some differing views on the workplace approach and speed with which the sector is moving towards alternative models, there is a general consensus across the board around the continuing desire for leading law firms to be located centrally in prime buildings, clustered together with their peers and key clients with all of the surrounding amenity and alignment with brand image that this brings.”
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Global Occupier Services, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
“Like most global markets the issue with legal firms in Australia is attracting staff back to the office on a more permanent basis. We have not seen any trends relating to downsizing so the legal sector continue to lease the same sort of footprint it is just occupancy of staff that is down. A significant number of firms committed to new space prior to, or just at the beginning of the pandemic so are locked into longer term leases.”
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Global Occupier Services, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
“The legal sector has been exposed to dramatic change over the last five years. Technology has enabled cross border delivery, challenging the traditional structure of lawyers in-country for certain practice groups. Traditionally, the legal office has relied on private offices for partners. This costs significantly in $/Sq.ft. (increasing footprint) whilst decreasing flexibility (promotion = new private office). Covid has driven a Work from Home policy for numerous practices, bringing in to question the idea of space being provided based on seniority. However the need to attract talent defaults numerous firms to a Private Office model. Whilst some firms have embraced a new environment others have chosen to remain in traditional settings. No right answers exist. What is unquestionable however is that the requirement for concentration and focus space is as prevalent now as it was before. Added to that is the rise of remote client and staff interactions through Zoom or Teams calls and we see the creation of bespoke/dedicated spaces for this purpose. The intersection of concentration and collaboration/ teaming spaces creates competing demands which will ultimately play out towards a new model. A few firms have embraced an idea of agility, aligning space with business need, however they tend to remain on the margins. The need for significant client interface meeting and seminar space in-office has diminished. Whether this demand reintroduces itself is yet to be seen. This was a key branding component for numerous firms and the inflexibility of real estate timing is a challenge. A number of firms are looking to consolidate within their existing footprints and release space to reduce cost.”
Paul
Scroggie
Regional Managing Director, Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Global Occupier Services, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
“The future for the legal sector is not what it was 10 years ago. To stay competitive in today’s environment, firms must adapt, evolve and improve.
Many Legal Sector occupiers are starting to look at using their space as a catalyst for change and growth during an unprecedented time, specifically focusing on three key areas:
DESTINATION WORKPLACES - Law practices must make the office a place where people want to be to not only bring employees back to the office, but also retain top talent. This includes allowing choices in activity-based settings, promoting collaboration and mentorship of younger lawyers and associates, embracing future-state technology solutions not available at home, and finally, providing amenities and space which encourage cross-selling.
FLEXIBILITY - It is important that law practices are encouraging individual growth and fulfillment, while also prioritising employee well-being through an inclusive and technology-focused workplace. It is also essential that practices are addressing the impact of long-term real estate lease obligations by ensuring flexibility in their lease terms.
HYBRID WORK - Hybrid work is here to stay. To retain and recruit talent, legal practices must accommodate flexibility requests while also providing settings in the office to support activities which can’t be accomplished at home, such as collaborative brainstorming. This means that practices must provide amenities and attributes which promote remote employees to come to the office at certain times.”
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Global Occupier Services, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
“Activity in the legal sector in Hong Kong has been relatively muted of recent times with little in the way of significant moves and deal activity. Most of the larger firms appear to be well placed for the moment sitting on long term lease commitments. Anecdotally we know that whilst many firms are looking critically at their experience during Covid with working from home and flexible arrangements and looking at how this would work into their future accommodation and HR plans, a clear preference for dedicated desk space and private office layouts still predominates in Hong Kong. The dynamics of the broader Hong Kong commercial leasing market defined as it is by forecast falling rents and increasing supply over the next several years – including in the Central district which remains the preferred location for law firms – might mean that we see some firms looking to take advantage of the favourable/ tenant friendly market conditions.”
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Global Occupier Services, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
We have reached out to our broker community in key legal markets across APAC and consolidated here some of the more recent and/or significant transactional activity within the legal occupier space in region. Separately, we have asked our Savills experts to share their thoughts and observations on legal sector activity across workplace, project management and real estate.
*Information represented is available in the public domain/has been gathered from the market. Whilst we have made reasonable attempts to verify we do not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the information presented.
Legal Tenant:
APAC Deal Summary
CHINA
Shearman Sterling
Renewal
700 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal
600 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal & Expansion
537 sqm
Shearman Sterling
Renewal
666 sqm
Kirkland & Ellis
Market Report
2,900 sqm
Beijing
china
East & Concord Partners
Market Entry
1,658 sqm
Beijing DHH Law Firm
Relocation
5,000 sqm
Zhonghe Law Firm
Relocation
1,898 sqm
Allbright Law Office
Relocation
1,200 sqm
GFE Law Firm
Renewal
1,200 sqm
Guangzho
Hong Kong
White & Case
Relocation
2,600 sqm
O Melveny
Renewal
200 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal
200 sqm
Hong Kong
china
Allbright Law Office
Renew
2,300 sqm
Jin Mao Law
Relocation
2,500 sqm
Han Kun Law
Renewal & Expansion
6,000 sqm
Covington & Burling
Renew
1,200 sqm
Sloma
Renew
1,400 sqm
Shanghai
Philippines
White & Case
Relocation
+/- 10,000 sqm
Manila
Singapore
Clifford Chance
Renewal
4,000 sqm
Allen & Gledhill
Renewal
10,000 sqm
Dentons
Renewal
3,500 sqm
Withers
Renewal
2,600 sqm
Lee & Lee
Relocation
3,000 sqm
Singapore
Indonesia
Linklaters
Relocation
+/- 600 sqm
jakarta
Australia
Herbert Smith Freehills
Relocation (2023)
6,000 sqm
Minter Ellison
Relocation (2023)
2,000 sqm
PERTH
Australia
Hopgood Ganim
Relocation (2025)
4,800 sqm
King & Wood Mallesons
Renewal (2022)
2,700 sqm
Gadens
Relocation (2027)
5,000 sqm
Brisbane
New Zealand
Haigh Lyon
Relocation
803 sqm
Bell Gully
Relocation
3,800sqm (Downsize from 5,989sqm)
AUCKLAND
Australia
Allen & Overy
Renewal
3,000 sqm
Clifford Chance
Relocation
2,500 sqm
Corrs
Relocation (2023)
10,000 sqm
White & Case
Expansion (2023)
2,079 sqm
SYdney
Australia
SLF Lawyers
Renewal
926 sqm
Best Hopper Lawyers
Relocation
518 sqm
Melbourne
Shanghai
Beijing
jakarta
Brisbane
perth
Melbourne
H2/2022
White & Case
Relocation
+/- 10,000 sqm
Manila
East & Concord Partners
Market Entry
1,658 sqm
Beijing DHH Law Firm
Relocation
5,000 sqm
Zhonghe Law Firm
Relocation
1,898 sqm
Allbright Law Office
Relocation
1,200 sqm
GFE Law Firm
Renewal
1,200 sqm
GuangzhoU
White & Case
Relocation
2,600 sqm
O’Melveny
Renewal
1,176 sqm
Hong Kong
Allen & Overy
Renewal
3,000 sqm
Clifford Chance
Relocation
2,500 sqm
Corrs
Relocation (2023)
10,000 sqm
White & Case
Expansion (2023)
2,079 sqm
sydney
The Legal Tenant
Explore APAC Deal Summary
The Legal Tenant is our hub for occupier services, offering commercial real estate articles and research from experts offering industry-leading advice and analysis specifically for law firms.
What our experts say
We have reached out to our broker community in key legal markets across APAC and consolidated here some of the more recent and/or significant transactional activity within the legal occupier space in region. Separately, we have asked our Savills experts to share their thoughts and observations on legal sector activity across workplace, project management and real estate.
*Information represented is available in the public domain/has been gathered from the market. Whilst we have made reasonable attempts to verify we do not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the information presented.
Legal Tenant:
APAC Deal Summary
Shearman Sterling
Renewal
700 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal
600 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal & Expansion
537 sqm
Shearman Sterling
Renewal
666 sqm
Kirkland & Ellis
Market Report
2,900 sqm
Clifford Chance
Renewal
4,000 sqm
Allen & Gledhill
Renewal
10,000 sqm
Dentons
Renewal
3,500 sqm
Withers
Renewal
2,600 sqm
Lee & Lee
Relocation
3,000 sqm
Allbright Law Office
Renew
2,300 sqm
Jin Mao Law
Relocation
2,500 sqm
Han Kun Law
Renewal & Expansion
6,000 sqm
Covington & Burling
Renew
1,200 sqm
Sloma
Renew
1,400 sqm
Singapore
Hopgood Ganim
Relocation (2025)
4,800 sqm
King & Wood Mallesons
Renewal (2022)
2,700 sqm
Gadens
Relocation (2027)
5,000 sqm
Linklaters
Relocation
+/- 600 sqm
Herbert Smith Freehills
Relocation (2023)
6,000 sqm
Minter Ellison
Relocation (2023)
2,000 sqm
Haigh Lyon
Relocation
803 sqm
Bell Gully
Relocation
3,800sqm (Downsize from 5,989sqm)
AUCKLAND
SLF Lawyers
Renewal
926 sqm
Best Hooper Lawyers
Relocation
518 sqm
The legal sector has been exposed to dramatic change over the last five years. Technology has enabled cross ...
Read More
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company (Hong Kong)
Read More
The future for the legal sector is not what it was 10 years ago. To stay competitive in today’s
environment ...
Simon Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Read More
Talking with legal sector tenants with presence across APAC we see a definite and sustained trend towards a ...
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC (Hong Kong)
Read More
As Singapore completely opens up and rescinds the last of restrictions, legal firms are starting to
embrace ...
Ashley Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Read More
Like most global markets the issue with legal firms in Australia is attracting staff back to the office on a more permanent ...
Mark Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Read More
Activity in the legal sector in Hong Kong has been relatively muted of recent times with little in the way of significant ...
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
The legal sector has been exposed to dramatic change over the last five years. Technology has enabled cross border delivery, challenging the traditional structure of lawyers in-country for certain practice groups. Traditionally, the legal office has relied on private offices for partners. This costs significantly in $/Sq.ft. (increasing footprint) whilst decreasing flexibility (promotion = new private office). Covid has driven a Work from Home policy for numerous practices, bringing in to question the idea of space being provided based on seniority. However the need to attract talent defaults numerous firms to a Private Office model. Whilst some firms have embraced a new environment others have chosen to remain in traditional settings. No right answers exist. What is unquestionable however is that the requirement for concentration and focus space is as prevalent now as it was before. Added to that is the rise of remote client and staff interactions through Zoom or Teams calls and we see the creation of bespoke/dedicated spaces for this purpose. The intersection of concentration and collaboration/ teaming spaces creates competing demands which will ultimately play out towards a new model. A few firms have embraced an idea of agility, aligning space with business need, however they tend to remain on the margins. The need for significant client interface meeting and seminar space in-office has diminished. Whether this demand reintroduces itself is yet to be seen. This was a key branding component for numerous firms and the inflexibility of real estate timing is a challenge. A number of firms are looking to consolidate within their existing footprints and release space to reduce cost.
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director, Merx a Savills Company (Hong Kong)
“The future for the legal sector is not what it was 10 years ago. To stay competitive in today’s environment, firms must adapt, evolve and improve.
Many Legal Sector occupiers are starting to look at using their space as a catalyst for change and growth during an unprecedented time, specifically focusing on three key areas:
DESTINATION WORKPLACES - Law practices must make the office a place where people want to be to not only bring employees back to the office, but also retain top talent. This includes allowing choices in activity-based settings, promoting collaboration and mentorship of younger lawyers and associates, embracing future-state technology solutions not available at home, and finally, providing amenities and space which encourage cross-selling.
FLEXIBILITY - It is important that law practices are encouraging individual growth and fulfillment, while also prioritising employee well-being through an inclusive and technology-focused workplace. It is also essential that practices are addressing the impact of long-term real estate lease obligations by ensuring flexibility in their lease terms.
HYBRID WORK - Hybrid work is here to stay. To retain and recruit talent, legal practices must accommodate flexibility requests while also providing settings in the office to support activities which can’t be accomplished at home, such as collaborative brainstorming. This means that practices must provide amenities and attributes which promote remote employees to come to the office at certain times.
Simon Raper
Director, Head of Workplace, APAC (Singapore)
Talking with legal sector tenants with presence across APAC we see a definite and sustained trend towards a return to office – with typical office occupancy levels across the sector reaching 70-80% of that pre-pandemic. Hybrid working models are becoming more accepted across an industry previously defined by inflexibility, long office hours and a challenging work life balance. The response from a workplace perspective has been far from uniform however. Whilst legal tenants – just like occupiers everywhere – are working through their own solutions to the complex question of how to make their workplaces most productive and introduce different spaces and working styles into the office environment, we do note that there is some divergence in approach between those firms that have centralised real estate and operations teams to drive these changes and those that have more traditional and localised partnership structures. To draw the distinction more finely, for some firms the concept of providing more open, engaging, varied and collaborative work environments has been embraced as part of a whole of business program of cultural change and perceived as very much a positive for talent attraction and retention. For others, the opposite is equally true with these firms looking to ‘double down’ on the type of cellular office designs that are most commonly identified with the sector. They have an entrenched and deeply held view that the private office is something that staff (particularly senior staff) highly value and, even in high cost real estate markets, are reluctant to move away from. Critically, these firms often have an alternative view that this traditional workplace approach is actually something that is more closely aligned with their target talent pool and is an important factor in providing continuity and vital tool in retailing key staff. Whilst there are some differing views on the workplace approach and speed with which the sector is moving towards alternative models, there is a general consensus across the board around the continuing desire for leading law firms to be located centrally in prime buildings, clustered together with their peers and key clients with all of the surrounding amenity and alignment with brand image that this brings.
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC (Hong Kong)
As Singapore completely opens up and rescinds the last of restrictions, legal firms are starting to embrace a more open way of working, but are grappling with how to attract staff back to the office. Having invested heavily in technology due to the pandemic, the added mobility has resulted in office usage hovering around 50-60%. Most of the firms we are working with are in the process of evaluating their office space needs, not only in terms of desk space, but other uses such as collaboration space and storage.
Ashley Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Like most global markets the issue with legal firms in Australia is attracting staff back to the office on a more permanent basis. We have not seen any trends relating to downsizing so the legal sector continue to lease the same sort of footprint it is just occupancy of staff that is down. A significant number of firms committed to new space prior to, or just at the beginning of the pandemic so are locked into longer term leases.
Mark Smith
National Head, Occupier Services (Australia)
Activity in the legal sector in Hong Kong has been relatively muted of recent times with little in the way of significant moves and deal activity. Most of the larger firms appear to be well placed for the moment sitting on long term lease commitments. Anecdotally we know that whilst many firms are looking critically at their experience during Covid with working from home and flexible arrangements and looking at how this would work into their future accommodation and HR plans, a clear preference for dedicated desk space and private office layouts still predominates in Hong Kong. The dynamics of the broader Hong Kong commercial leasing market defined as it is by forecast falling rents and increasing supply over the next several years – including in the Central district which remains the preferred location for law firms – might mean that we see some firms looking to take advantage of the favourable/ tenant friendly market conditions.“
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager, Office Leasing (Hong Kong)
What our experts say
As Singapore completely opens up and rescinds the last of restrictions, legal firms are starting to embrace a more open way of working, but are grappling with how to attract staff back to the office. Having invested heavily in technology due to the pandemic, the added mobility has resulted in office usage hovering around 50-60%. Most of the firms we are working with are in the process of evaluating their office space needs, not only in terms of desk space, but other uses such as collaboration space and storage.
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
Talking with legal sector tenants with presence across APAC we see a definite and sustained trend towards a return to office – with typical office occupancy levels across the sector reaching 70-80% of that pre-pandemic. Hybrid working models are becoming more accepted across an industry previously defined by inflexibility, long office hours and a challenging work life balance. The response from a workplace perspective has been far from uniform however. Whilst legal tenants – just like occupiers everywhere – are working through their own solutions to the complex question of how to make their workplaces most productive and introduce different spaces and working styles into the office environment, we do note that there is some divergence in approach between those firms that have centralised real estate and operations teams to drive these changes and those that have more traditional and localised partnership structures. To draw the distinction more finely, for some firms the concept of providing more open, engaging, varied and collaborative work environments has been embraced as part of a whole of business program of cultural change and perceived as very much a positive for talent attraction and retention. For others, the opposite is equally true with these firms looking to ‘double down’ on the type of cellular office designs that are most commonly identified with the sector. They have an entrenched and deeply held view that the private office is something that staff (particularly senior staff) highly value and, even in high cost real estate markets, are reluctant to move away from. Critically, these firms often have an alternative view that this traditional workplace approach is actually something that is more closely aligned with their target talent pool and is an important factor in providing continuity and vital tool in retailing key staff. Whilst there are some differing views on the workplace approach and speed with which the sector is moving towards alternative models, there is a general consensus across the board around the continuing desire for leading law firms to be located centrally in prime buildings, clustered together with their peers and key clients with all of the surrounding amenity and alignment with brand image that this brings.
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
Like most global markets the issue with legal firms in Australia is attracting staff back to the office on a more permanent basis. We have not seen any trends relating to downsizing so the legal sector continue to lease the same sort of footprint it is just occupancy of staff that is down. A significant number of firms committed to new space prior to, or just at the beginning of the pandemic so are locked into longer term leases.
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
The legal sector has been exposed to dramatic change over the last five years. Technology has enabled cross border delivery, challenging the traditional structure of lawyers in-country for certain practice groups. Traditionally, the legal office has relied on private offices for partners. This costs significantly in $/Sq.ft. (increasing footprint) whilst decreasing flexibility (promotion = new private office). Covid has driven a Work from Home policy for numerous practices, bringing in to question the idea of space being provided based on seniority. However the need to attract talent defaults numerous firms to a Private Office model. Whilst some firms have embraced a new environment others have chosen to remain in traditional settings. No right answers exist. What is unquestionable however is that the requirement for concentration and focus space is as prevalent now as it was before. Added to that is the rise of remote client and staff interactions through Zoom or Teams calls and we see the creation of bespoke/dedicated spaces for this purpose. The intersection of concentration and collaboration/ teaming spaces creates competing demands which will ultimately play out towards a new model. A few firms have embraced an idea of agility, aligning space with business need, however they tend to remain on the margins. The need for significant client interface meeting and seminar space in-office has diminished. Whether this demand reintroduces itself is yet to be seen. This was a key branding component for numerous firms and the inflexibility of real estate timing is a challenge. A number of firms are looking to consolidate within their existing footprints and release space to reduce cost.
Paul
Scroggie
Regional Managing Director, Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
The future for the legal sector is not what it was 10 years ago. To stay competitive in today’s environment, firms must adapt, evolve and improve.
Many Legal Sector occupiers are starting to look at using their space as a catalyst for change and growth during an unprecedented time, specifically focusing on three key areas:
DESTINATION WORKPLACES - Law practices must make the office a place where people want to be to not only bring employees back to the office, but also retain top talent. This includes allowing choices in activity-based settings, promoting collaboration and mentorship of younger lawyers and associates, embracing future-state technology solutions not available at home, and finally, providing amenities and space which encourage cross-selling.
FLEXIBILITY - It is important that law practices are encouraging individual growth and fulfillment, while also prioritising employee well-being through an inclusive and technology-focused workplace. It is also essential that practices are addressing the impact of long-term real estate lease obligations by ensuring flexibility in their lease terms.
HYBRID WORK - Hybrid work is here to stay. To retain and recruit talent, legal practices must accommodate flexibility requests while also providing settings in the office to support activities which can’t be accomplished at home, such as collaborative brainstorming. This means that practices must provide amenities and attributes which promote remote employees to come to the office at certain times.
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
Activity in the legal sector in Hong Kong has been relatively muted of recent times with little in the way of significant moves and deal activity. Most of the larger firms appear to be well placed for the moment sitting on long term lease commitments. Anecdotally we know that whilst many firms are looking critically at their experience during Covid with working from home and flexible arrangements and looking at how this would work into their future accommodation and HR plans, a clear preference for dedicated desk space and private office layouts still predominates in Hong Kong. The dynamics of the broader Hong Kong commercial leasing market defined as it is by forecast falling rents and increasing supply over the next several years – including in the Central district which remains the preferred location for law firms – might mean that we see some firms looking to take advantage of the favourable/ tenant friendly market conditions.
Danny Broadfield
Senior Manager,
Office Leasing
(Hong Kong)
Ashley
Swan
Executive Director, Commercial Leasing (Singapore)
Adam Evennett
Regional Director, Cross-Border Tenant Advisory, APAC
(Hong Kong)
Mark
Smith
National Head,
Occupier Services
(Australia)
Paul Scroggie
Regional Managing Director,
Merx a Savills Company
(Hong Kong)
Simon
Raper
Director,
Head of Workplace,
APAC (Singapore)
We have reached out to our broker community in key legal markets across APAC and consolidated here some of the more recent and/or significant transactional activity within the legal occupier space in region. Separately, we have asked our Savills experts to share their thoughts and observations on legal sector activity across workplace, project management and real estate.
*Information represented is available in the public domain/has been gathered from the market. Whilst we have made reasonable attempts to verify we do not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the information presented.
Legal Tenant:
APAC Deal Summary
CHINA
Shearman Sterling
Renewal
700 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal
600 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal & Expansion
537 sqm
Shearman Sterling
Renewal
666 sqm
Kirkland & Ellis
Market Report
2,900 sqm
Beijing
china
East & Concord Partners
Market Entry
1,658 sqm
Beijing DHH Law Firm
Relocation
5,000 sqm
Zhonghe Law Firm
Relocation
1,898 sqm
Allbright Law Office
Relocation
1,200 sqm
GFE Law Firm
Renewal
1,200 sqm
Guangzho
Hong Kong
White & Case
Relocation
2,600 sqm
O Melveny
Renewal
200 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal
200 sqm
Hong Kong
china
Allbright Law Office
Renew
2,300 sqm
Jin Mao Law
Relocation
2,500 sqm
Han Kun Law
Renewal & Expansion
6,000 sqm
Covington & Burling
Renew
1,200 sqm
Sloma
Renew
1,400 sqm
Shanghai
Philippines
White & Case
Relocation
+/- 10,000 sqm
Manila
Singapore
Clifford Chance
Renewal
4,000 sqm
Allen & Gledhill
Renewal
10,000 sqm
Dentons
Renewal
3,500 sqm
Withers
Renewal
2,600 sqm
Lee & Lee
Relocation
3,000 sqm
Singapore
Indonesia
Linklaters
Relocation
+/- 600 sqm
jakarta
Australia
Herbert Smith Freehills
Relocation (2023)
6,000 sqm
Minter Ellison
Relocation (2023)
2,000 sqm
PERTH
Australia
Hopgood Ganim
Relocation (2025)
4,800 sqm
King & Wood Mallesons
Renewal (2022)
2,700 sqm
Gadens
Relocation (2027)
5,000 sqm
Brisbane
New Zealand
Haigh Lyon
Relocation
803 sqm
Bell Gully
Relocation
3,800sqm (Downsize from 5,989sqm)
AUCKLAND
Australia
Allen & Overy
Renewal
3,000 sqm
Clifford Chance
Relocation
2,500 sqm
Corrs
Relocation (2023)
10,000 sqm
White & Case
Expansion (2023)
2,079 sqm
SYdney
Australia
SLF Lawyers
Renewal
926 sqm
Best Hopper Lawyers
Relocation
518 sqm
Melbourne
Shanghai
Beijing
jakarta
Brisbane
perth
Melbourne
H2/2022
White & Case
Relocation
+/- 10,000 sqm
Manila
East & Concord Partners
Market Entry
1,658 sqm
Beijing DHH Law Firm
Relocation
5,000 sqm
Zhonghe Law Firm
Relocation
1,898 sqm
Allbright Law Office
Relocation
1,200 sqm
GFE Law Firm
Renewal
1,200 sqm
Guangzho
White & Case
Relocation
2,600 sqm
O Melveny
Renewal
200 sqm
Pillsbury
Renewal
200 sqm
Hong Kong
Allen & Overy
Renewal
3,000 sqm
Clifford Chance
Relocation
2,500 sqm
Corrs
Relocation (2023)
10,000 sqm
White & Case
Expansion (2023)
2,079 sqm
sydney