Rajah & Tann has combined its eight regional and associated law firms within Southeast Asia to form Rajah & Tann Asia, which will provide integrated cross-border transactional and dispute resolution services across the region.

Aside from Rajah & Tann Singapore, the firms are Cambodia’s R&T Sok Heng Law Office, Indonesia’s Assegaf Hamzah & Partners, Rajah & Tann Laos, Malaysia’s Christopher & Lee Ong, Myanmar’s Rajah & Tann NK Legal, Rajah & Tann Thailand, and Vietnam’s Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers.

The alliance comes as the region prepares for the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, which would see the removal of import taxes, foreign ownerships curbs, and restrictions on skilled labour mobility across the 10 Southeast Asian economies.

Rajah & Tann Asia is headed by a regional management council, which has representatives from each of the eight firms, and is chaired by Rajah & Tann Singapore’s managing partner Lee Eng Beng.

“Clients will not only be offered a full slew of quality legal services and the biggest legal network in Southeast Asia, but a ‘home team’ of lawyers who have local knowledge, language skills, cultural familiarities and contacts that are crucial for business navigating in this diverse region. Clients can also opt to have only one point of contact instead of instructing different firms,” said Lee in a statement.

Earlier this year, four of Rajah & Tann’s regional offices worked together to advise a European coffee roaster on a multijurisdictional buyout.

The regional width also allowed Rajah & Tann Singapore to quickly put together a product regulation questionnaire spanning 10 jurisdictions to advise a major technology company.