After last month saw Withers secure a new alliance in Singapore while other firms made moves in the country, Kennedys has bulked up its presence in the city-state through a joint venture (JV) with local firm Legal Solutions.
The tie-up will see Kennedys, which already has an office in Raffles Place, strengthen its position in Singapore with the JV housing a total of 30 lawyers. Its partner, the dispute resolution and corporate focused Legal Solutions, has two recommendations in The Legal 500: one for shipping and another for dispute resolution.
The Attorney General’s Chambers of Singapore has already granted Kennedys’ licence, and an official office opening will take place in the next few months subject to final regulatory formalities. The new venture will operate under the name of Kennedys Legal Solutions and carry out both on onshore and offshore work.
The announcement follows a series of moves by LB100 firms to enhance their presence in the nation this year. Withers established a formal law alliance with KhattarWong in February while Herbert Smith Freehills entered into a best-friend agreement with Singapore law firm Prolegis. DLA Piper also recently increased its office’s capability with the hire of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Singapore partner John Viverito.
For Kennedys, the move comes after it boosted its Asia presence with a seven-lawyer aviation team, including two partners from Clyde & Co and one from Norton White, in December 2014, and entered into a co-operation agreement with Chinese law firm AnJie in January this year.
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk
