WongPartnership law firm news

Firm makes significant commitment to the Middle East Region with a second Middle East office

WongPartnership LLP's Corporate Governance & Compliance Practice is the biggest cross-disciplinary corporate governance practice among the Singapore law firms.

The head of Davis Polk & Wardwell’s Beijing office will be stepping down from the helm of the US firm this year to launch his political career with Singapore’s largest opposition party – the Worker’s Party – in the upcoming general elections to be held on 7 May 2011.

史密夫律师事务所香港和北京团队近日携手为中石化集团国际石油勘探开发有限公司(中国石油化工集团公司的全资子公司，简称“国际勘探公司”)提供法律服务，协助国际勘探公司与澳大利亚太平洋液化天然气有限公司(简称澳太平洋公司)签署价值约15亿美元股份的认购协议，认购澳太平洋公司15%股份。

Following an exhaustive research process involving a record number of submissions from law firms and in-house legal departments this year, ALB is proud to announce the finalists for the ALB SE Asia Law Awards 2011, the most important event on SE Asia's legal calendar.

A subsidiary of the second largest coal producer of Indonesia, Adaro Energy has inked a US$400m senior loan facility from a syndicate of 12 banks to refinance existing debts and capital expenditures. The loan secured has a maturity period of seven years – the longest tenor of any major financing to date in the Indonesian market.

Herbert Smith has advised China National Offshore Oil Corporation on its bid to acquire one third of Britain’s Tullow Oil Plc’s stake in a Ugandan oil exploration project.

史密夫近日协助中国海洋石油总公司（中海油）与英国图洛石油公司签署销售和购买协议，以收购该公司在乌干达三个勘探区各1/3的权益。

A deal that is indicative of a turn in tide for the shipping sector, Shearman Sterling, Latham & Watkins and K&L Gates have all play a role in advising one of the biggest shipping-related private equity financing deals to date.

Clyde & Co has poached Ashurst’s head of aviation for Asia, Middle East and Africa Paul Jebely, to launch the Asian arm of the firm’s global aviation finance practice.

WongPartnership has acquired a three-partner boutique funds practice, and in a separate senior hire, appointed shipping veteran Ian Koh from local rival Drew & Napier to spearhead its new shipping & international trade practice.

The first appeals lodged to the Competition Appeal Board (CAB) in June 2010 marked a milestone in the competition legal framework in Singapore. This together with rapid developments on the competition front initiated by the regulating authorities, have resulted in growing demand for legal advice in this area.

A pioneer of SIAC’s initiatives in India, Ganesh Chandru, has left Singapore Big Four firm Rajah & Tann to join Steven Lim – an arbitration specialist who recently left Baker Botts to join Clyde’s international arbitration team in Singapore.

The strong currency, an increasing amount of work coming in from countries around the region, and the growing international reputation of Singapore law firms is luring foreign lawyers away from top and mid-tier international firms and has created a steady stream of Singaporean lawyers practicing overseas going home to work for local firms.

Who will be Asia's fastest growing law firms this year?

Midas, a leading manufacturer of aluminium alloy extrusion products, is the first Singapore-listed company to take advantage of an additional channel for capital-raising in Hong Kong. Earlier this year, changes to the HKSE listing rules saw a relaxation of criteria for companies to secondary list on the HKSE – in particular companies from the mining and petroleum sector – an option that few companies have exercised thus far.

US firm Duane Morris has secured approval from the Singapore Ministry of Law to launch a joint law venture (JLV) with local firm Arfat Selvam Alliance.

International arbitration – like everything else in China today – has become a growth industry. Spurred by institutional changes and a procession of cross-border transactions, both the number of disputes and the institutions providing dispute resolution services have proliferated.

WongPartnership has recently received approval to launch its second China representative office, in Beijing.

新加坡王律师事务所成立北京代表处计划近日获批，将成为该所继上海后在中国设立的第二家代表处。