The research team of ADR Vietnam Chambers, including Lawyer and Arbitrator Nguyễn Mạnh Dũng and Arbitration Assistant Phạm Dương Hoàng Phúc, conducted a study titled “The Legal Services Market in Vietnam and International Lessons Learned”. The article was published in the 2024 edition of “Improving the Legal Framework for Lawyers in Vietnam”, issued by the Ministry of Justice’s Democracy and Law Journal.
In alignment with Vietnam’s WTO commitments in 2007, the country has gradually opened its legal services market to foreign law firms and adjusted domestic regulations to conform to international standards. This shift has created a new competitive environment for international law firms while promoting the development and enhancement of domestic legal services.
Based on Report No. 339/BC-BTP dated August 16, 2024, by the Ministry of Justice, which summarizes the implementation of the Law on Lawyers 2006, amended in 2012, the article focuses on analyzing the current state of Vietnam’s legal profession, including the number, quality, and performance of lawyers in the context of the modern economic and legal landscape. It also compares Vietnam’s legal services market with more developed markets such as Singapore, the UK, and China, proposing solutions to foster the future development of the legal services sector in Vietnam.
Key Proposed Solutions
- Policy Focus Shift: Transitioning from individual lawyers to law firms, aiming to establish a legal services market.
- Enhancing Workforce Quality: Introducing accreditation for university education, liberalizing professional training, enforcing continuous training aligned with international standards, and removing market entry barriers (e.g., bar association membership, law firm startups).
- Financial Capacity Building: Facilitating financial support for law firms through credit loans, tax policies, and direct investment into legal practice organizations.
- Professionalizing Law Firm Management: Diversifying operational structures, developing business strategies, improving marketing, human resource management, office administration, and technology adoption.
- Expanding Legal Services Market: Transitioning from criminal litigation and administrative-civil services to business, commerce, and investment fields.
- Innovating Self-Governance: Enhancing representation for trainee lawyers, foreign lawyers, and support staff.
The manuscript is available on the Academia page of Lawyer and Arbitrator Nguyễn Mạnh Dũng:
Access the Research on Academia
Upcoming 2025 Online Forum on Law Firm Governance
ADR Vietnam Chambers, in collaboration with senior lawyers managing leading commercial law firms in Vietnam ranked by international rating agencies, will host an Online Forum on Law Firm Governance in 2025 with the theme:
“Professional Law Firm Governance – Truths and Myths”.
Event Objectives
This online series will explore significant issues in law firm governance based on the IBA Best Practice Guidelines on Law Firm Governance:
IBA Law Firm Governance Guidelines
The series aims to help law firms build and improve effective governance models.
Event Details
- Schedule: Every Friday, from February 14, 2025, to March 21, 2025, from 15:00 to 17:00 (GMT+7).
- Topics: Six practical themes on law firm governance.
- Registration: Detailed information and registration are available on ADR Vietnam Chambers’ website:
Event Information and Registration
