Duane Morris & Selvam, the first US-Singapore joint venture to be approved under the Enhanced Joint Law Venture model has poached two out of three senior partners from local maritime firm Navin & Co, to jumpstart its new shipping and maritime practice. A third senior lateral in shipping was hired from a separate local firm. At the same time, a fourth director was appointed to boost its corporate capabilities.
Shipping lawyers Raghunath Peter Doraisamy and Colin Jarraw – ex-directors of Navin & Co who joined the firm in 2007, 2009 – together with ex-Haridass Ho & Partners junior partner Prakash Nair have been appointed as directors of the new entity.
Singapore and Columbia-qualified lawyer Ramiro Rodriguez has been promoted to become DMS’s 12th corporate lawyer and its sixth director – significantly boosting its corporate capabilities with his experience in cross border banking, finance, securities and private equity law for both common and civil law jurisdictions. Rodriguez's promotion falls in line with the firm’s plans to expand its presence in Latin America. “As home to one of the busiest ports in the world, Singapore acts as a crucial hub, allowing Asia access to overseas markets. Our firm is now well-equipped to serve that busy and growing sector,” Duane Morris & Selvam managing director Arfat Selvam said. “Ramiro’s appointment [is] part of our ongoing commitment to grow our Latin American practice, currently led by Eduardo Ramos-Gomez, managing partner in Duane Morris & Selvam.” Rodriguez joined Arfat Selvam in 2006.
US firm Duane Morris secured approval from the Singapore Ministry of Law to form a JLV with Arfat Selvam – a then 17-lawyer corporate local boutique practice – in October last year, officially formalising its alliance on 28 Feb 2011. The marriage is only the second surviving tie-up by a US firm in Singapore, after Baker & McKenzie inked an agreement with Wong & Leow in 2001. Previous ill-fated alliances include Shearman & Sterling’s JLV with Stamford Partnership (now known as Stamford Law) between 2001 and 2002, White & Case and Colin Ng & Partners – which lasted little more than a year, ending in 2002; and Orrick’s JLV with Helen Yeo & Partners that ended when the latter merged to become Rodyk & Davidson in 2003.ALB
Other related stories:
