New York firm Herzfeld & Rubin has opened a new office in Myanmar with a satellite office also scheduled. The firm claims to be the first US investor to hold a 100 per cent ownership interest under Myanmar's 2012 Investment legislation. The office, which will be called Herzfeld, Rubin, Meyer & Rose Law Firm, will be headed up by Dr Andrew Ngun Cung Lian, who servced as deputy chief negotiator of the Chin National Front in its peace negotiations with the Myanmar Fovernment.

Sweeping changes

Commenting on the move, Herzfeld &Rubin's managing director Ian Ceresney said: 'The result of sweeping political and economic reform has ignited interest in Myanmar by American and other global investors-including our clients. their renewed focus in the region, and Southeast Asia generally, is the impetus behind our decision to establish a presence there.'

Rich history

Eric Rose, a principle in HRMR, said that the firm had 'a rich history of helping develop legal frameworks in several emerging and frontier economies around the world.' He added that the new office, 'the first of its kind in Myanmar, will assure foreign investors, and specifically American companies, that their interests will be represented with the same skill, expertise and ethical standards from which they benefit elsewhere int he world.' The 200 lawyer firm, which also has offices in Romania and Israel, is a member of the Alliott Group, a worldwide alliance of over 180 independent accounting, law and consulting firms located in 80 countries.