Clifford Chance is set to end its formal law alliance (FLA) with Singapore disputes boutique Cavenagh Law, a relationship that allowed the UK-founded firm to provide local litigation advice.
The FLA is expected to come to an end in four to five months, 14 years after it was formed, with the firms characterising the decision as mutual in a joint statement.
Robert Houck, Clifford Chance's global head of litigation and dispute resolution, said: "Following careful consideration, Clifford Chance and Cavenagh Law have mutually agreed that pursuing separate paths will best support our respective strategic priorities and future growth ambitions."
He added that Singapore remained a "strategically important market" for the firm and that "our priority throughout this process is our clients and our people. We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition, with no disruption to the high-quality, seamless service our clients expect from us."
Each firm's lawyer numbers following the end of the FLA have not yet been finalised, though the move is unlikely to materially affect Clifford Chance, which grew into a £2.6bn business in FY26 with average profit per equity partner of £2.3m.
The firm currently has more than 120 lawyers in Singapore according to its website and said that it would continue to offer clients "a broad and diverse range" of capabilities in the city-state, while maintaining its disputes practice, including international and Singapore arbitration.
Cavenagh Law's website currently lists 16 lawyers, according to its website. Following the conclusion of the FLA, the firm will be led by Nish Shetty and Paul Sandosham, who will no longer be concurrent partners at Clifford Chance.
A Clifford Chance spokesperson told GLP there would be no redundancies as part of the the process and that all current Cavenagh Law employees had been invited to remain with that firm.
"Where individuals wish to explore an opportunity with Clifford Chance or vice versa, we intend to be flexible and consider their circumstances individually. Our priority throughout is to support our people and manage the transition with care," they said.
The firms formed the FLA in 2012, in a move Clifford Chance said at the time made it the first full service, integrated legal practice in the region.
Three years earlier it had been among the first firms to be granted a Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) licence by the Singapore Government. Intended to liberalise the city-state's legal services sector, the licence allowed international firms to practice permitted areas of Singapore law – primarily corporate and commercial law – using Singapore-qualified solicitors, but barred them from domestic areas of litigation.
Following the end of the FLA, Clifford Chance said it would continue to operate in Singapore under its QFLP licence, which remains unchanged.
The firm is not exploring another alliance in Singapore and said that its decision to end the FLA with Cavenagh Law was not driven by the Singapore Ministry of Law's review of its legal services framework, which among other possible changes proposes replacing separate models like QFLPs and FLAs with a single general partnership licence.
"The decision was reached jointly following discussions between the firms and was not driven by the Ministry of Law's review or any proposed regulatory changes," a Clifford Chance spokesperson said.
"Following careful consideration, we believe that ending the FLA is the best way for each firm to pursue its own strategy, invest in the areas most important to its clients and people, and position itself for future success. This decision reflects the evolution of our respective businesses and is not the result of any single event or issue."
Cavenagh will continue to operate as an independent Singapore law firm, advising clients on Singapore law matters.
Sandosham, the firm's managing partner, said: "Our alliance with Clifford Chance has enabled both firms to work together successfully for many years in support of clients in Singapore and across the region. As our respective businesses evolve, we have mutually agreed that this is the right time for each firm to pursue its own strategic direction."
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