Pinsent Masons has formed a joint law venture practice in Singapore with its local ally, MPillay. The two firms have converted their successful three-year old association agreement into a formal practice which will target the local dispute resolution market.

The new JLV firm, Pinsent Masons MPillay, will be Singapore’s sixth and combine a team of lawyers from both law firms. MPillay’s founder Mohan Pillay will lead the practice and join the Pinsent Masons partnership, while MPillay equity partner Chris Chong will be a consultant and two other partners will be counsel. Pinsent Masons will contribute two lawyers: construction law specialist Jon Howes and dispute resolution lawyer Wei Yaw Lam will both relocate from the Hong Kong office. They will advise on construction, energy and engineering disputes resolution matters and link up with overseas offices including those of its European ally, Salans.

In formalising the association both firms said they now have a more efficient practice combining resources and client invoicing. “Instead of two separate law firms the JLV allows for services to be provided by a single legal services provider,” said Pillay. “It’s now a separate self-standing practice so the clients will benefit from all the work that both firms can do, with the convenience of a single point of communication, engagement, and invoicing.”

Under the previous association agreement the law firms had built up a steady roster of clientele, acting on local projects such as the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resorts Development and the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit System. On the disputes side they acted for a Singaporean software developer in a Hong Kong dispute. “Working together, we have even been able to buck the economic trends experienced in many parts of the world, with a significant increase in client instructions in the region and in Singapore in particular,” said the head of Pinsent Masons’ Asia-Pacific practice, Vincent Connor.

Pinsents last year announced its intention to become a law firm of ‘truly international reach’ by 2020. Last year it formed an alliance with Salans and it continues to have arrangements with domestic firms across Asia. Howes said that the Singapore JLV satisfies part of that plan. 

“This is a very important step in that process. The logical move for us having been established in Asia was to get that capacity in Singapore established. We can now say that we have an Asia presence in all of the region’s major four cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore,” he said.

Related stories:

• ALB Interviews Vincent Connor, Pinsent Masons (2009)
• Lovells lures Pinsent construction partner to Singapore (4 Sep 2009)
• US$1m PPP tender goes to Pinsent Masons (27 Jan 2010)