DWF takes on four-lawyer Singapore Eversheds team to set up new regional hub
DWF has broken into Asia for the first time, opening a Singapore office to expand its growing regional client offering. In June, DWF recruited a four-lawyer team formerly from Eversheds.
Leading the team is the firm’s former Singapore managing partner Oommen Mathew, with arbitration and construction partner Iain Black. Associates Charis Tan and Kate Lan from Eversheds Harry Elias make up the launch team.
The team specialises in commercial and investment treaty arbitration, bringing with it significant experience in the construction, transport and energy sectors.
DWF managing partner Andrew Leaitherland said that securing a base in the rapidly growing ASEAN region is currently ‘the most important strategic step for us in the development of our international business’.
Opening in Singapore was also a requirement due to the high number of DWF clients operating there and growing regional demand, he said.
Leaitherland described Singapore as the ‘regional hub’ for financial services and insurance, two of DWF’s specialisms. He vowed to add teams focused on these sectors ‘shortly’.
‘An ASEAN base is the most important strategic step for us in the development of our international business.’
Andrew Leaitherland, DWF
Mathew is experienced in representing sovereigns, state trading companies and multinationals in international arbitrations, while Black has expertise in litigation and arbitration across Europe and Asia.
Earlier in his career, Black was instrumental in establishing Masons’ Singapore office. Mathew and Black both decided against joining a Singapore tie-up between Eversheds and Harry Elias Partnership in early June.
Black said he would build a strong base in Singapore to help clients in that ‘rapidly growing region’.
The launch is DWF’s first office opening since April, when the firm set up in Berlin.
DWF hired DLA Piper’s financial services partner Nina Siedler and real estate partner Irene Schmid in the Berlin office, alongside Wolfgang Richter, who joined DWF Germany following the firm’s 2016 merger with BridgehouseLaw.
This January, DWF opened a Paris office after acquiring four-partner local firm Heenan Paris. The buyout brought in Heenan’s expertise in corporate, private equity, commercial, intellectual property/IT and litigation.
DWF employs over 2,600 members of staff in over 23 centres globally.
tom.baker@legalease.co.uk