Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, clients in Asia had been asking for differentiated legal services—from commercial value-adds to capped-fees and tech-infused solutions. 

So, it seemed timely when in 2018, the Big Four broke into Asia in a big way, launching new legal ventures and adding new service offerings. Private practice lawyers held their breath as KPMG, EY, Deloitte and PwC all touted a sea change that would enable them to seize market share from the notoriously intransigent global law firms.