Taylor Vinters is growing its Asia business, acquiring a stake in a leading Singapore boutique law firm Via Law Corporation.
The firm will be joining forces with Via Law Corporation, which specialises in intellectual property (IP), technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) law for entrepreneurial clients across South East Asia and Japan.
The new structure will see Taylor Vinters transfer its existing Singapore business into Via Law Corporation. The combined practice will be called “Taylor Vinters Via”, subject to regulatory approval. The deal will also see Via Law Corporation become a corporate partner in Taylor Vinters LLP.
Taylor Vinters CEO Matt Meyer said:
“Taylor Vinters Via will be a major step forward for us in the region and provide an even stronger platform to meet our clients’ changing needs. Importantly by working through an established Singapore law practice, we can also provide a truly integrated international and Singapore law offering, which is what the market wants.”
The 8 people strong team will include Director Yingyu Wang, the only female named by Legal 500 as a leading individual for TMT law and noted by Chambers for IP Litigation, and Director Bryan Ghows, formerly Associate General Counsel at Microsoft, and qualified to practice in Singapore, the United Kingdom and the US. Bryan is named by Legal 500 as a leading individual for both IP and TMT law in Singapore.
Taylor Vinters has been working with Via Law as one of its local partners since early 2016 and identified a strong shared vision for legal services in Singapore and the wider region.
Commenting on the structure of the deal Matt Meyer explained:
“Culturally, both businesses are an excellent fit. Not only are we both focused on the same markets, but share a mind-set which is focused on doing things differently. We embrace change, continuously innovate and challenge traditional ways of working to stay one step ahead and ensure that our clients, which include some of the world’s leading entrepreneurs and tech firms, can achieve their goals.”
“In Singapore, foreign ownership rules restrict the investment international firms are permitted to make in local law firms, so we have developed a novel cross-ownership structure. This will provide a strong platform for success by enabling us to more effectively align and integrate our businesses.”
“We believe this approach provides a new model for international firms operating in Singapore and we are delighted that the regulators in Singapore and the UK have approved the structure.”
Yingyu Wang commented:
“We look forward to being part of Taylor Vinters and firmly believe that this cross-ownership structure will extend our clients’ reach from Asia to Europe.
Matt concluded: “Our ambition is to be the leading law firm for innovative and entrepreneurial clients operating globally and the ASEAN market is a key priority for us.
2nd February 2017
Source: http://www.taylorvinters.com/news_and_events/article/taylor-vinters-targets-strategic-growth-in-asia-1014
