International firm White & Case continues to build on its robust organic growth strategy in Asia, adding six lawyers in as many months to the Singapore office. Jonathan Olier is the latest hire, joining the global mergers & acquisitions practice as counsel in Singapore.
Formerly with Clifford Chance, Olier spent 11 years working on a broad range of transactions involving cross-border M&A, sovereign wealth, private equity, restructurings and joint ventures – in particular within the infrastructure, banking, telecom, real estate and oil & gas sectors.
"White & Case has seen significant growth in its M&A capabilities across Asia, which is expected to continue," Olier told ALB today.
"The Firm has been involved in a number of key regional deals including advising on the international law issues on the sale by Rajawali Group of a stake in PT Semen Gresik, the largest block trade ever done in Indonesiaand Hong Kong-based Pacific Century Group on the closing of its purchase of AIG's investment advisory and asset management business."
Since January, the firm has added five lawyers in Singapore, including IP lawyer David Llewelyn, international arbitration partner Aloke Ray and local partner Nandakumar Ponniya. Lawyers from the Singapore office have advised on a number of key deals across the Asian region, including the restructuring and disposal of Lehman Brother’s Indian portfolio, valued at approximately US$3bn.
The office was also strengthened by the addition of three counsels: Indonesian specialist Charlie Wilson, investment funds lawyer Emily Low and promoted capital markets lawyer Sin Teck Lim, and saw the return of banking partner Guan Feng Chen to lead the Singapore law finance practice, after he completed a secondment to the Hong Kong office. In December 2008, White & Case was named one of six foreign law firms granted a license to practice Singapore law in permitted areas under the Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) Scheme. In 2009, the Singapore office gained three partners in corporate finance and M&A: M&A partner William Kirschner, project and asset finance local partner Sebastian Buss and banking partner Kate Allchurch.ALB
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