International law firm Mayer Brown will soon be adding Singapore to its network of offices across Asia. Having been granted a foreign law practice license by Singapore’s Attorney General, the new Singapore office is expected to be operational by Q4 2011.

Hong Kong-based lawyer and head of the Mayer Brown JSM construction and engineering group, Kevin Owen, will relocate to Singapore to head up the new office, which will initially concentrate on asset finance, energy, project finance and international arbitration work. “Many commercial contracts in Asia – including those concluded in Vietnam, Indonesia and India  – contain Singapore arbitration clauses and we see that as a growth area for our disputes practice. In many respects, Singapore is winning work from the Hong Kong arbitration centre and is establishing itself as the regional arbitration centre of choice, so it makes sense for us to be there,” Owen told ALB. Owen attributes opening up in Singapore at this time to Asia’s buoyant economy and expresses the firm’s desire to capture the high levels of activity as well as service its existing clients based here.

According to him, the initial strategy focuses on the aforesaid three practice areas but he does not rule out expanding further – adding on other practice areas after the office launches and develops.

Owen returns to Singapore after more than two decades, having previously worked in the Lion City from 1986-88. He will be assisted in establishing the Singapore practice by Hong Kong colleague banking and finance partner Alastair MacAulay, who, along with several associates, will spend considerable time at the new office.

“We see Singapore as a very important part of the asset finance market. There are a lot of Western and regional banks headquartered here; in addition to the local Singaporean banks which have become very active. We need a hub in Asia for our project finance practice to compliment our existing practices in Europe and Africa and Eastern Europe and the Americas. We perceive that Singapore is the more active center of activity in Asia for that sector and we want to build our project finance headquarters in Singapore,” MacAulay said.

Singapore will be the eighth location for Mayer Brown JSM, the Asia practice of international law firm Mayer Brown. The firm’s other offices in the region are: Bangkok, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Min City, Hong Kong and Shanghai.ALB

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• Offshore: Collas Crill to launch in Singapore, targets Channel Islands growth (6 Jun 2011)