30 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – AUGUST 2024 WWW.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM ROUNDTABLE to ensure that the solutions are not only legally sound but aligned with the overall objectives. This approach fosters stronger client relationships and facilitates quicker, more impactful responses to inquiries, ultimately leading to more effective outcomes in an ever-evolving legal landscape. ALB: With an increasing focus in Singapore on regional and international collaboration, how does your firm ensure that it meets the cross-border legal needs of clients? Lim: We are part of a global network of independent and national law firms where each member law firm was carefully selected, tried and tested. This effectively means that when dealing with cross-border requirements, we can quickly find a suitable lawyer to assist. Huang: During the growth stage of the firm, the focus was inward, on Singapore and ensuring that we had developed the internal capability to deal with Singapore-based matters. However, as the firm has evolved, our clients also work with us to ensure that their interests across the region are covered. Accordingly, our partners have been tasked to establish a strong working relationship with reputable firms to ensure that we are able to not only provide a one-stop solution, but also to ensure that the advice given by the foreign firms is accurate, addresses the client’s concerns and is suitable for the situation. Increasingly as business grows internationally, it is too inward-looking to only focus on Singapore – it has become part of the partner’s job to identify and develop strong regional firms that we can work with – so that our reputation is not compromised just because we are working across borders. Yeo: We are lucky to be able to work with many overseas counsel and have established an informal network of overseas firms and specialists whom we routinely engage for our clients. We have entered non-binding MOUs with a Chinese firm to supplement our respective crossborder capabilities. Already having a working relationship with these firms allows us to be efficient from the get-go. Teo: We are one of few Singapore firms with a permanent established presence in Hong Kong – this is a unique selling point. Shipping and commodities trading are two key practices at Helmsman. These practices are by definition international and cross-border and we have been practising in these areas for decades. Over time, we have developed close working relationships with lawyers in all major jurisdictions and less developed ones too. We know who has the right legal skills for a particular job or the right temperament to deal with a particular opponent. We are not obliged or tied to any particular law firm or lawyer in another jurisdiction. We and our clients are free to curate and choose and work with the best lawyer for the job in a particular jurisdiction. ALB: Looking ahead, what are your firm’s strategic priorities for growth and development in the coming years, and how do you plan to achieve these objectives? Lim: There is a high continual demand for our services, be it for disputes or corporate work. There are presently 10 fee earners. We will not expand for the sake of growth and increased revenue. Rather, the focus will be to find suitable lawyers with good technical skillsets and personalities who can fit in with our culture. The younger lawyers will be given opportunities to network and build their clientele. It is better to start early, rather than late, in building your own practice. Separately, we have been reaching out to green-field jurisdictions where there should be demand for legal services emanating from Singapore in the mid-term horizon. This is with a view to building up the business relationships Image: Amnaj Khetsamtip/Shutterstock.com
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