Mayer Brown announced today that it will enter into a Joint Law Venture (“JLV”) with established Singapore law firm, PK Wong & Nair LLC (“PK Wong & Nair”), after receiving formal approval from the Singapore Legal Services Regulatory Authority. The JLV, to be known as Mayer Brown PK Wong & Nair Pte. Ltd., will provide clients with an integrated service, offering seamless advice on international and Singapore law. All Singapore court litigation and related advice is provided through PK Wong & Nair.
Mayer Brown opened its Singapore office in 2011, since then growing to over 25 lawyers, including 13 partners. Regularly ranked as a leading international firm in Singapore by the main legal directories, the office advises clients on a broad range of cross-border transactions, projects, and disputes across Southeast Asia.
Tracing its roots back to 1986, PK Wong & Nair is a highly regarded full-service Singapore law firm with over 20 lawyers, including 8 directors. The firm has a strong track record of advising on cross-border transactions for multinational corporations, acting as Singapore counsel in multi-jurisdictional disputes, and also in high-value, complex international restructuring and insolvency matters.
“Over the past ten years we have built a highly competitive and dynamic offering in Singapore,” said Mayer Brown’s Chair, Jon Van Gorp. “The continued growth of the market as an international legal hub, along with the increasing prominence of Singapore law as a preferred governing law across Southeast Asia, has driven client demand for an integrated local and international service offering. We are delighted to be able to provide this seamless advice through our Joint Law Venture with PK Wong & Nair.”
“As an established locally grown Singapore law firm, the increasing international dimension of the work we undertake for our clients, means that finding a partner with an aligned global platform is a strategic imperative,” said Mark Wong, Co-Managing Director of PK Wong & Nair. “We have worked with Mayer Brown for a number of years now and forming a Joint Law Venture with the firm through its Singapore office was the logical step forward for us in order to continue to provide our clients optimal service in the future economy.”
“Mayer Brown’s commitment to the market has been demonstrated by the capability they have built in Singapore over the past decade,” added Suresh Nair, Co-Managing Director of PK Wong & Nair. “From a local perspective the calibre and depth of their Singapore qualified lawyers is impressive, perfectly complementing our own practice in the Joint Law Venture. Globally, Mayer Brown is uniquely positioned.”
“The key to success for any global law firm wanting to build a seamless offering with a local law firm in Singapore is to look beyond the immediate service synergies created through the Joint Law Venture, and to focus on the strength of their domestic litigation practice – this made PK Wong & Nair the ideal partner for Mayer Brown,” concluded Mayer Brown’s Asia Chair, Duncan Abate. “Our strategy in Asia has been to build our Singapore offering as a hub for Southeast Asia, complementing our continued growth in Hong Kong, which remains the hub for Greater China and North Asia.”
