King & Spalding will open its eight office outside of its US headquarters – in Singapore. The new office, which will focus on energy and international arbitration work, will be led by current global energy head Phillip Weems, who was also the firm's Dubai, Riyadh and Abudhabi managing partner from 2007 until earlier this year.
Weems will be joined by transactions partner Daniel Rogers and recent lateral hire and international arbitration partner John Savage. Savage joins the firm from the Singapore office of US rival Shearman & Sterling, where he most recently served as vice chair of international arbitration and head of Asia disputes.
Robert Hays, King & Spalding's chairman, said the firm's expansion into Singapore is a perfect platform for the firm to penetrate South East Asia, Australia and India. "Singapore's establishment as a key international arbitration centre for commercial disputes in Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Australia, coupled with a steady increase in energy and infrastructure investment throughout the region, make it a compelling centre for the continued expansion of our energy and arbitration practices," he said.
Once King & Spalding opens in the country, it will become the 85th foreign law firm and the 16th from the United States (excluding those firms which hold a QFLP or are in joint law venture or other such arrangements) to have a physical presence in Singapore.ALB
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