Straits Law, K&L Gates' Singapore office get nod to combine offices

SINGAPORE law firm Straits Law Practice LLC and global practice K&L Gates LLP have received approval from the Singapore Legal Services Regulatory Authority to combine K&L Gates' Singapore office with Straits Law, the firms announced on Friday.

The combination is subject to agreement from the partners of both firms and the subsequent signing of documents, with the firms targeting an effective date of Jan 1, 2019.

With the offices combined, Straits Law's full-service practice offering will be expanded to a global level, while K&L Gates will be able to provide clients with legal services involving Singapore law.

"The combined talents and resources of our lawyers in Singapore will allow us to seamlessly serve both local and international clients in Singapore and the region," Straits Law managing director N Sreenivasan and K&L Gates managing partner for Asia David KY Tang said in a joint statement.

Straits Law is a medium-sized law firm incorporated in Singapore in 2001, specialising in handling complex corporate litigation, arbitration, construction and white-collar crime cases. It also has a banking and restructuring practice and an India desk.

K&L Gates has more than 1,800 lawyers in 45 offices across five continents, with a fully integrated network of offices. It has 11 offices in the Asia-Pacific and locations in the US, Europe, the Middle East and South America.

A further update will be provided upon successful approvals from the firms' partners and the execution of documents, the firms said.