Headquartered in Singapore, Law Asia has strengthened its global expertise by counseling clients on both international and English Law.

Positioning itself as a firm that provides on-the-ground local knowledge with an international standard of advice, the team focuses on cross border M&As, international arbitrations, corporate finance, and funds transactions.

It has often advised regional clients expanding to Europe, and international companies looking to establish themselves in Asia.

“We broke the mould when we set up Law Asia,” said founding partner Paul Supramaniam, “as an international law firm based in Singapore, advising on U.S. and UK law, and Asian-owned and Asian-run.”

The team concentrates on developing emerging markets through associated offices in Southeast and South Asia, including Dhaka, Colombo, Jakarta and Brunei.

“We are offering the same style of international practice, thinking and sophistication, not just in Singapore, but in regional centers and locations where it can be especially challenging to get that standard of quality,” said Supramaniam.

Recent work in the region includes acting for a Russian technology software group, Multinet, in its acquisition of a Bangladesh-based ISP provider. The team also advised a regional client on forming a coal trading business involving coal supplied from Indonesia.

Law Asia further benefits from the counsel of its International Advisory Council (IAC), a group of strategic partners from a cross section of industries who meet annually to provide guidance to the firm.

The IAC comprises market leaders, including Tan Pheng Hock, Group President and CEO of ST Engineering; Piers Willis, Southeast Asia CEO of Rothschild Bank; Professor Simon Chesterman, Dean of NUS Law School; and Sev Vettivetpillai, CEO and CIO of Aureos Capital.

Supramaniam said: “Our driving mantra is that we are not just a transactional firm, but also counselors to our clients. To do so means having an understanding of what the market is thinking on a regular basis. The best way to do this was to bring leading figures from the market into an arrangement where they were part and parcel of understanding Law Asia, and providing us with regular feedback.”

The IAC will meet on an annual basis. ALB

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