Last spring’s tumult over King & Spalding‘s withdrawal from representing the U.S. House of Representatives in defense of an anti-gay marriage law served as a reminder of the difficulties American law firms can face when taking on politically controversial matters. In Asia it also served as a reminder that law firms can take on politically controversial matters in the first place.
Some lawyers in Asia are deeply involved in political controversies, but they are typically not employed by major firms. In China several human rights lawyers were arrested in a crackdown this spring. Others face ongoing official harassment. The London-based International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute has called for the Chinese government’s persecution of human rights lawyers to end. But the legal profession in Asia itself has been silent on that and other hot topics.
