The London-based magic circle player is to team with Cavenagh Law, which was only launched earlier this year, according to media reports in the UK.

Profit sharing

The deal was struck under local formal law alliance provisions recently implemented by the Singapore government. According to The Lawyer newspaper, those rules will allow the joint venture to offer both local and international advice and for the two firms to share profits.
Cavenagh Law was founded by two former Wong Partnership lawyers – Harpreet Singh, Paul Sandosham -- and Nish Shetty, who, according to Legal Week newspaper, launched Clifford Chance’s local disputes practice three years ago. The newspaper says the deal will see Cavenagh litigators brought under CC’s overall wing, providing them with enhanced career opportunities as well as wider resources.

Legal hub

The Lawyer cited a statement from Mr Singh, who is Cavenagh’s managing partner: ‘The recent steps in the liberalisation process taken by the Singapore government further strengthen Singapore’s position as a pre-eminent global legal hub’.
The move follows recent developments in neighbouring Malaysia, where the authorities are aiming to liberalise that legal profession market. However, those efforts have been beset by questions over government interference in the local legal profession and judiciary.