Trowers & Hamlins is set to open in Singapore with partner Abdulhaq Mohammed relocating from Bahrain to lead the office.
The firm announced on Tuesday it has been granted a Foreign Law Practice licence by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority to operate in the city-state.
Law Middle East understands the office is on track to open on May 1, 2024.
Mohammed, an infrastructure and real estate partner who has held several senior management positions within the firm, will spearhead its Asia growth strategy from Singapore. As part of the launch, he is relocating from Bahrain to Singapore, but will continue to work closely with the Middle East real estate practice, which is newly headed by partner Eileen Duncan, who recently moved from London to Dubai.
In Asia, the firm has an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which it said will work closely with the Singapore office as well as its broader international network. The Singapore office will be staffed by a core team of lateral hires as well as lawyers relocating from other offices.
Jeremy Ingham, the firm’s international managing partner, said: “Singapore is a hugely significant regional finance and business hub. It makes compelling business sense for Trowers to have a dedicated presence in Singapore, both in terms of opening up access to other key markets across Southeast Asia and in order that we can even better service our clients’ cross-border work.”
He added:
“The relocation of Abdulhaq to head this new office demonstrates our commitment to make this strategy a success—he has a proven track record of growing our business and our client network.”
Mohammed said: “This is an exciting moment for Trowers. Singapore is a strategically important and energetic market, which will help connect so many parts of our business. It is at the heart of an increasing number of links being established between Asia and the Middle East, as well as the continuing drive for infrastructure growth in Southeast Asia. We are very much looking forward to getting started.”
Trowers now has two offices in Asia, as well as an India and Korea desk. In the Middle East, the firm has four offices in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, and Oman.
