Clyde & Co has hired a 12-strong team in Bangkok from DLA Piper alongside six further hires from other firms, in a move it described as one of the most significant in the Thai legal market in recent years.
The incoming group from DLA Piper is led by partners Robert Tang and Samata Masagee alongside Akyn Suttawatanadech, who makes partner on the move having been of counsel at his former firm. Seven further lawyers and two secretaries have joined them for the move from DLA Piper.
Clydes said the team's hire establishes a broader full-service disputes and corporate capability in its Bangkok office alongside its existing marine and shipping practice.
The new arrivals significantly expands Clydes’ presence in Bangkok, where it opened in 2022 after hiring Kennedys disputes lawyers Ian Johnston and Sorawat Wongkaweepairot, who left last year to launch Wotton Kearney’s Bangkok office. Clydes’ website lists one other partner in Bangkok – insurance and shipping lawyer Phutita Luksilakul.
“Thailand sits at the centre of mainland Southeast Asia and continues to play a critical role in regional investment flows and supply chains,” said Thomas Choo, the firm’s managing partner, Singapore. “The expansion of our Bangkok office reflects both the importance of the market and our ambition to deepen our capabilities across key sectors in the region.”
The incoming group advises clients across insurance and reinsurance, international arbitration, commercial disputes, corporate and M&A transactions, and regulatory and compliance matters, as well as major infrastructure, real estate and TMT projects.
Clydes said the team strengthened its ability to support clients operating in the region across the full lifecycle of investment, project development, risk management and dispute resolution.
The firm has 350 legal professionals across Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mainland China and South Asia. Last August it reported its 27th consecutive year of revenue growth, with revenue rising 3% in the previous financial year to £854m as profit inched up 1.8% to £177.5m.
The rapid scale up of its Bangkok office also comes amid a concerted international expansion drive that saw Clydes debut in the Netherlands last autumn, having opened in Dallas earlier in the year and entered the Polish and Italian markets in the previous two years.
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
