Cambodia’s sleepy legal market has a big new player, after two co-founders of one of the country’s most prominent law firms, Bun & Associates, left to establish Anant Law Firm.

A full-service outfit with four partners and 32 fee-earners, all from Bun & Associates, the new firm will look to focus on facilitating cross-border investments in the Cambodian market. The firm said it has expertise in the agribusiness, real estate and construction, energy and natural resources, retail, distribution and consumer goods, and tourism and hospitality sectors.

“Cambodia's growing economy, stability, and peaceful country under a new government visionary outlined in its ‘Pentagonal Strategy’ are key drivers that attract long-term investors. We are committed to assisting these investors with market entry and all other business challenges,” managing partner Sophealeak Ing told ALB in an email.

Ing co-founded Bun & Associates in 2007 with Youdy Bun and Antoine Fontaine. He and Fontaine are partners at the new firm, along with Tongkin Huoy, who was a legal manager at Bun, and Ratana Nem, who was a senior associate. “The split was done in an amicable way. Fee earners joined their partners. Therefore, all the teams under Sophealeak Ing and Antoine Fontaine have joined Anant Law Firm entirely,” the newly set up firm told ALB.

Bun & Associates’ entire real estate and construction, commercial contracts, business licensing, energy, employment, insurance, healthcare and tax teams have moved to Anant Law, Ing said.

Two other former partners at Bun & Associates, Sovath Phin and Sinath Un, left to set up their own venture, SDS & Partners, along with Deline Sieng, a former partner at R&T Sok & Heng Law Office.

Bun & Associates has over 40 fee-earners, including two partners—Youdy Bun and Sokanha Sin—and tax partner Borapyn Py. Py joined the firm recently, and Sin was promoted to the partnership earlier this year.