The burgeoning Paris market has drawn in another UK name as Speechly Bircham opens in the City while UK IP firm Rouse expands into Myanmar alongside new South East Asian entrant Tilleke & Gibbins, which has also launched in Indonesia and Laos.
Its fourth new European office in two years, UK top 55 firm Speechly Bircham opened today (25 November) in the French capital with an 11-strong team, which will focus on private wealth tax planning as well as corporate and litigation services to private clients, private equity investors and corporates.
The four-partner launch team comprises former STC partners Stéphane de Lassus and Anne-Marie Berthault-Boissonnas, who advise on international tax planning for wealthy families, entrepreneurs and management teams, along with STC litigation partner Frédéric Jeannin and corporate partner Thibaut Caharel of Paris’ PDGB Avocats.
Responsible for developing the firm’s international operations, Speechly’s senior partner, Michael Lingens, said: ‘Building on the success of our first international offices, Paris feels like a natural next step due to its importance as a European commercial centre. Speechly Bircham has invested in growing its international private wealth, investment management and funds offering and we are delighted that this very talented team has joined us.
‘The addition of Paris will enable us to broaden our offering to wealthy families and successful entrepreneurs as well as private equity houses and corporates.’
The 230-lawyer City firm, which has also opened in Luxembourg, Geneva and Zurich in the last two years, follows on the heels of Osborne Clarke, which opened in Paris in July.
Meanwhile in Myanmar, London-based IP firm Rouse is opening its 16th base in the former capital of Burma, Yangon, run by head of patents and Thailand country manager Fabrice Mattei, joined by qualified Myanmar attorney and IP specialist Moe Mynn Thu, who joins the firm from Myanmar Brewery Limited.
The office will offer filing and prosecution for trademarks, patents designs and geographic indications, as well as broader portfolio management, commercial work and IP commercialisation services such as technology transfer.
Chief executive of Rouse, Luke Minford, said: ‘We are delighted to announce the opening of Myanmar office, the first of its kind for an international IP firm. We have worked actively in the Myanmar market for several years, and believe the time is now right to establish a base in the country. We already manage the IP of over 50 clients in Myanmar, and this step will ensure we can continue to deliver the level of service we pride ourselves on at Rouse.’
Elsewhere, South East Asian IP firm Telleke & Gibbins completed a run of office openings in the region earlier this month with new bases in Jakarta, Vientiane and Yangan, where it has already been advising IP clients for many years, building on its longstanding presence in Thailand and Vietnam.
Myanmar has also been a draw for foreign firms entering the legal market as it opens up, either through owned or alliance set-ups, including Stephenson Harwood, which opened in May, Selvam & Partners, which opened in September and US-based Herzfeld Rubin Meyer & Rose, which launched in October.
francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk
