International law firm CMS announced its formal law alliance (FLA) between its Singapore office and Singapore law practice, Holborn Law LLC. The FLA, which received approval from the Legal Services Regulatory Authority of Singapore, will come into effect from the 1st of September 2017 and will operate under the name CMS Holborn Asia. Through the FLA, CMS will now continue to build Singapore legal expertise in its key sectors of Energy, Projects & Infrastructure, and Real Estate and Technology, among others.
This is the latest of several steps taken by the firm to grow their presence in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, following the recent ground-breaking three-way merger the firm undertook this year, with the integration of CMS Cameron McKenna, Olswang and Nabarro to form the sixth largest law firm globally. Within APAC, the firm now has offices located in four key commercial hubs of the region; Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
Holborn Law LLC is a Singapore law firm with expertise in the full spectrum of dispute resolution, ranging from civil litigation to mediation and international arbitration, and also has expertise in commercial, corporate, and merger and acquisition transactions.
“We are delighted with our development in Singapore since we opened in early 2012; the FLA broadens our offering to our clients based here and/or with operations in Singapore and takes the number of lawyers operating in Singapore to thirty from an initial team of three five years ago,” Andrew Stott, Managing Partner of CMS Singapore, commented. “That growth has been driven by client support for our sector-aligned model across our practice groups. It also cements our investment in, and commitment to, contributing to the growth of the nation as a hub for local and global businesses operating in the region.”
“This FLA progressed from our association in June 2015 with (legacy) Olswang Asia, and is a natural evolution of our desire to offer international expertise across a wider range of sectors to our existing clients,” Lakshanthi Fernando, Managing Director of Holborn Law, added. “I am very pleased to be able to work with CMS in Singapore and globally.”
The combined firm is in the process of moving into new premises in Marina One in Singapore.