The legal industry’s biggest innovators across Asia-Pacific were recognised this week as the Financial Times announced the winners of its FT Innovative Lawyers Asia-Pacific Awards 2026, highlighting the firms and in-house teams changing how major legal work is handled across the region.
The awards, hosted by Financial Times and FT Live in association with research partner RSGI, honoured firms and legal departments working at the forefront of AI adoption, cyber risk, dealmaking, restructuring and internal technology systems.
The ceremony took place on May 14 and reflected how major firms are now competing on speed, technology and execution as much as traditional legal expertise.
Mallesons and Freshfields Take Top Law Firm Honors
King & Wood Mallesons was named the Most Innovative Law Firm headquartered inside Asia-Pacific, while Freshfields secured the top award for firms headquartered outside the region.
The results also showed how large firms are racing to improve AI systems, workflow technology and international capabilities as corporate clients push for faster execution and more efficient cross-border support.
Other major winners included:
- Latham & Watkins for Unlocking Capital
- Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer for Digital Law Firm Operations
- Clifford Chance for Restructuring and Liability Management
- Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu for Dealmaking
- Yulchon for Infrastructure
- Hogan Lovells for Science and Technology
- MinterEllison for Knowledge & Data
- Trilegal for Cyber and Data Privacy
- Allen & Gledhill for Digital Legal Practice
- Ashurst for Strategic Direction
- Sidley Austin for Disputes
Why These Awards Matter
For large firms across Asia-Pacific, the rankings now carry weight far beyond industry prestige. Corporate clients are paying closer attention to how firms handle AI integration, cybersecurity exposure, pricing pressure and increasingly complex multinational work.
Awards tied to digital operations and data systems also show how firms are now competing on internal efficiency and technology investment alongside traditional legal advice.
DBS Bank Leads In-House Legal Winners
DBS Bank won the award for Most Innovative In-House Legal Team and also secured recognition for Digital Solutions.
Other in-house winners included:
- Dentsu for People and Skills
- Sony Group Corporation for Commercial and Strategic Advice
- Hang Seng Bank for Innovation in New Products and Services
- IAG for Operational Transformation
The in-house winners also reflected how corporate legal teams now play a much larger operational role inside major companies, particularly in banking, aviation and technology businesses where regulatory demands and compliance exposure continue to grow.
Individual Innovation Awards
The individual honours recognised lawyers driving internal change inside major firms.
Thomas Kollar won Innovative Practitioner, while Ryuhei Itaya received the Legal Intrapreneur award.
The intrapreneur category reflects how firms are trying to build new systems and internal innovation from inside their own partnerships and teams rather than relying entirely on outside legal tech providers.
Full Winners List
Individuals
- Innovative Practitioner — Thomas Kollar, Mayer Brown
- Legal Intrapreneur — Ryuhei Itaya, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
Law Firms
- Most Innovative Law Firm (Inside Asia-Pacific) — Mallesons
- Most Innovative Law Firm (Outside Asia-Pacific) — Freshfields
- Responsible Business — Corrs Chambers Westgarth
- Unlocking Capital — Latham & Watkins
- Digital Law Firm Operations — Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
- Restructuring and Liability Management — Clifford Chance
- Digital Legal Services — Mallesons
- Dealmaking — Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
- Infrastructure — Yulchon
- Science and Technology — Hogan Lovells
- Knowledge & Data — MinterEllison
- Cyber and Data Privacy — Trilegal
- Digital Legal Practice — Allen & Gledhill
- People and Skills — Corrs Chambers Westgarth
- Strategic Direction — Ashurst
- Disputes — Sidley Austin
In-House Legal Teams
- Most Innovative In-House Legal Team — DBS Bank
- People and Skills — Dentsu
- Commercial and Strategic Advice — Sony Group Corporation
- Innovation in New Products and Services — Hang Seng Bank
- Operational Transformation — IAG
- Digital Solutions — DBS Bank