Eversheds has confirmed that it will be moving into Singapore’s SGX Centre in November, counting merger suitor Harry Elias Partnership as one of its new neighbours. Merger talks between the two firms first went public in March this year, but have been slow to progress due to Singapore’s tightly regulated legal market. The unique deal would grant Eversheds access to Singapore’s legal marketplace without the constraints of local licensing requirements, which allow outside firms only to practice Singaporean law in ‘permitted’ areas. If joined, the two firms would become only the second fully-integrated combination in Singapore after Morgan Lewis & Bockius’ combination with Stamford Law in March last year. With only eight Eversheds lawyers currently in Singapore, a combination with 60-lawyer Harry Elias would significantly boost the firm’s presence in a key market.

Sources: Legal Business; The Lawyer