Leeds, UK-headquartered law firm Needle Partners has opened a new marketing office in Kuala Lumpur that aims to promote its English law and white label service, called Needle Network.

However, the firm has confirmed it won’t be applying for a Qualified Foreign Law Firm (QFLF) route because “it has no intention on working on Malaysian legal matters nor does it want to be seen in competition with Malaysian law firms.”

Needle Partners, which counts Malaysian banks, corporations and private investors among its clientele, is looking to attract new clients with an interest in the UK market.

The Needle Network offering aims to provide Malaysian law firms a white label service so that they can outsource any English law work to Needle.

“While we could have simply opened an independent fully operational law firm there, we wanted to create an offering that serves and supports the Malaysian legal sector rather than competing with it,” said managing partner Sharon Needle, who is qualified in both the UK and Malaysia. “We appreciate that the Malaysian legal sector is highly sophisticated and does not need foreign law firms to compete with it. Through the Needle Network, we are able to help Malaysian law firms expand their services to their clients with interests in the UK.  Needle Network also acts as a support platform for Malaysian businesses and private investors requiring legal services in the UK.”