Malaysian law firm Naqiz & Partners has merged with Esther Hor, Mohanthas, Scully (HMS), the local member firm of RHTLaw Asia. The merged firm will retain the Naqiz name and take over HMS’ membership in the RHT-led legal network known as the ASEAN Plus Group.

The combined firm has 16 fee-earners, including seven partners. Three of them - Esther Hor, Zachary Scully, and Mohanthas Narayanasamy – were partners at HMS. 

Established in 2005, Naqiz’s offerings include corporate/commercial law, banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, property & real estate, IT and telecommunication, intellectual property, and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, HMS, founded in 2022, provided corporate legal support with special focus on corporate commercial, capital markets, corporate finance, intellectual property, taxation, fintech, private wealth and commercial litigation.

The merger will help Naqiz “address the diverse needs of our clients on a broader scale in an increasingly competitive and fast-paced industry,” said Datuk Khairul Ismail, managing partner of Naqiz & Partners, in a statement.