As 2021 draws to a close, let me welcome you to the fourth edition of Alumni News.

In this edition, we had the pleasure of speaking to John Hancock, former Executive Committee member and associate in the Hong Kong office. John was hired by John Connor, who you all are familiar with. In addition to having a long and close relationship with Hong Kong, John also established our presence in Bangkok, and participated in our early developments in Mainland China, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar.

We also hear from Anne Chen, a former lawyer in the Baker McKenzie Hong Kong IP Group and China Practice, and now director and chair of Elite Charitable Foundation Limited. We had an inspiring conversation on how she is living the spirit of “work hard, play hard” and her passion about helping at-risk youth.

As we look ahead to the new year, we also invited some of our lawyers to share their views on hot topics to watch in 2022. Our Learning and Leadership team has also designed an exclusive webinar just for our alumni. The topic is “Making and keeping your 2022 resolutions” and it will be at noon on 27 January 2022. Details and the registration link, along with other recorded trainings in the latter half of this year, are available in the Bulletin Board. We hope you enjoy all of these conversations and the learning opportunity.

As a bit of good news relating to the year just passed, I’m pleased to share that in the fiscal year ending 30 June 2021, we reported revenues of USD 3.1 billion, the first time the Firm has crossed the USD 3 billion mark. Revenues increased by 7.8% compared to the previous year, despite the challenges of COVID-19.

We also recorded significant growth in the Asia Pacific region with revenues up 5.8%, with Hong Kong and Mainland China among some of the strongest performing markets. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for contributing to the solid foundation laid over the years, allowing us to build on your hard work and make us the Firm we are today.

Finally, as the holiday season is upon us, I recorded a video message with our Partner Loke-Khoon Tan, aka our Best-dressed Man. You can watch it here.

I wish you all a great time with family and friends this holiday season. May the new year bring you health, happiness and prosperity!

Best Regards,
Steven Sieker
HK/China Managing Partner
Baker McKenzie

Former Executive Committee member John W. Hancock AM had had a long and close relationship with Hong Kong, not only being hired initially by Hong Kong, but also led the launch of our Bangkok office and participated in the establishment of our Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam chapters. Read more

Anne Chen, a former lawyer in the Baker McKenzie Hong Kong IP Group and China Practice, and now director and chair of Elite Charitable Foundation Limited, is a living example of the spirit of “work hard, play hard.” In this interview, she talks about her time at the Firm and her journey of helping at-risk and underprivileged youth. Read more

As we look ahead to 2022, we share our lawyers’ takes on hot topics to watch in the new year. Subjects include increasing focus on ESG, digital transformation, future of work, and supply chain and trade realignment. Read more

Find out about the various happenings across our offices, including our festive activities, fundraising for good causes, and new joiners in 2021. Read more