Nguyen Huu Phuoc

Nguyen Huu Phuoc is the founder and the managing partner of Phuoc & Partners. Lawyer Phuoc is an experienced attorney in various legal fields, particularly in tax, labor, and employment law. In addition to providing legal services to clients, Lawyer Phuoc has authored numerous books and specialised materials on legal matters, provided training courses, and actively engaged in sharing legal knowledge through various activities.

Qualification

• LLM, Bristol Law School UWE (UK) (2009)
• LLB (1995)
• BA in languages (English)  (1996)
• Member of the Bar Association of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Expertise

Lawyer Phuoc heads two primary practice groups of Tax and Labour & Employment at Phuoc & Partners. With over 25 years of experience, he specialises in tax planning for large businesses in various industries. He regularly drafts, reviews, and negotiates tax-related provisions in various corporate documents, including mergers and acquisitions agreements, legal opinions, and employment contracts. Additionally, Lawyer Phuoc provides expert advice to corporate clients on general tax compliance matters, including personal income tax, corporate income tax, and foreign contractor withholding tax. He also represents clients in administrative lawsuits related to tax disputes with local tax authorities in Vietnam.

In the field of labour and employment, Lawyer Phuoc has provided clients with comprehensive guidance on various legal matters related to labour law, practical aspects of employment policies, workforce re-structure, and issues arising from mergers and acquisitions. He has offered advice on hiring, termination, layoffs, and represented clients before district and provincial labour management agencies, as well as in various courts. Notably, Lawyer Phuoc has successfully defended employers in numerous employment litigation cases involving workplace discrimination, protection of trade secrets, and non-compete and confidentiality agreements. He also provides valuable counsel on personnel affairs and employee welfare decisions.

During the early 2010s, in addition to his esteemed expertise in tax as well as labour and employment laws, Lawyer Phuoc expanded his practice into the field of marriage and family law. At Phuoc & Partners, he became the primary legal practitioner in this area, dealing with matters such as divorce, child custody, child support, visitation, property division, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, wills, and inheritance. Furthermore, Lawyer Phuoc has gained extensive litigation experience by representing businesses owners, people in the entertainment sector, and foreign communities in marriage and family law disputes, both in and out of court.

Ranking

Since 2006, Lawyer Phuoc has been consistently recognised as one of 100 leading lawyers in Vietnam in the fields of tax law and labour and employment laws by reputable independent organisations like Legal500, Chambers Asia, and ALB. These accolades are based on the positive feedback received from clients, colleagues, and experts. Please view one of the ranking for your information (https://law.asia/asia/lawyers/vietnam-lawyers/).

Work history

Prior to establishment of TLS Law Firm in 2003, which later became known as Phuoc & Partners, Lawyer Phuoc gained valuable experience as Deputy Manager of the Tax and Legal Department at PricewaterhouseCoopers (https://www.pwc.com/) and KPMG (https://kpmg.com/xx/en/home.html), two of the world’s largest international consulting and auditing firms. Additionally, he then served as the Managing Lawyer for nearly two years of Luat Viet Law Firm (name changed to Dentons LuatViet (https://www.dentonsluatviet.com/)), one of leading international law firms in Vietnan. Afterward, he founded Phuoc & Partners Law Firm and has since been serving as its Director and Managing Lawyer.

Other professional activity

Legal knowledge sharing

In addition to his legal practice, Lawyer Phuoc has actively shared his expertise through presentations at various business and professional seminars. He has spoken on various law related topics, including tax law as well as labour and employment law, and legal professional skills. These seminars have been organised by prominent entities such as HKBG, the European Chamber of Commerce, VCCI (Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry), the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Justice, the Vietnam Bar Federation, the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, and the Judicial Academy. Moreover, Lawyer Phuoc has authored numerous academic articles related to his areas of expertise and frequently contributes to specialised journals on tax law as well as labour and employment law, and legal professional skills in Vietnam.

Due to his extensive knowledge and experience, Lawyer Phuoc has been sought after for interviews by newspapers, magazines, and TV shows. He willingly shares his insights on topics concerning tax and labour and employment laws in Vietnam, as well as his expertise as a professional practitioner.

Publication

Lawyer Phuoc has authored and published seven books in the field of law, covering various topics such as law firm management, civil law, and labour law. These books include:

• Guidance on starting a Career as a Lawyer (firstly in 2016 and reprinted in 2017)
• Handbook of Law for Individual and Family (firstly published in 2018 and reprinted in 2020)
• Labour Law Handbook (firstly published in 2018 and reprinted in 2021)
• Frequently Asked Questions in Labour Law (firstly published Law Firm in 2018 and reprinted in 2021)
• Hard-to-Find HR Forms Related to Labour Law (firstly published in 2019 and reprinted in 2021)
• During a troubled divorce, it’s perplexing to determine who to approach for help (firstly published in 2020)
• Labour Handbook During the Pandemic – What Businesses Need to Know (firstly published in 2021)

In addition, Lawyer Phuoc has contributed as an author to one chapter of three books related to law firm management and for lawyer practicing skills, including:

• Lawyer’s Handbook (firstly published by the Vietnam Bar Federation in 2018 and reprinted in 2019)
• Legal Consulting Skills Curriculum (firstly published by the Judicial Academy in 2019)
• Soft Skills Curriculum in the Legal Profession (firstly published by the Judicial Academy in 2021)

Besides, Lawyer Phuoc’s expertise in labour and employment law has led to collaborations with other translators in the translation of four books focused on human resources. These books are:

• Correct Human Resource Management of Barbara Mitchell and Cornelia Gamlem (firstly published by Alphabooks in 2019)
• Smart Human Resource Management with Data of Bernard Marr (firstly published by Alphabooks in 2019)
• Make no small plans of Elliott Bisnow, Brett Leve and Jeff Rosenthal, Jeremy Schwartz (firstly published by Alphabooks in 2023)
• Fundementials of Human Resource Management of Raymond A. Noe, John R. Hollenbeck and Barry A. Gerhart (firstly published by Alphabooks in 2023)

Last but not least, Lawyer Phuoc has established and manages the website https://chiaseluatlaodong.com/ to share his knowledge of labour and employment law, provide updates on new labour and employment law regulations, answer frequently asked questions in such a field, and offer free forms related to labour law for HR professionals in businesses.

Community activity

In terms of community activities, Lawyer Phuoc holds several important positions, including:

• Vice President of the Vietnam Human Resources Association (VNHR) (https://vnhr.vn/about-us)
• Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Association of Corporate Directors (VACD) (https://www.vacd.vn/ban-chap-hanh-4/)
• Vice President of the Sales & Marketing Vietnam Club (CSMO)
• Former member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam International Commercial Arbitration Club (VBLC)
• Guest lecturer at the Judicial Academy

Language

Vietnamese and English