Herbert Smith Freehills Spreads Southeast Asia Footprint

Tom Burroughes

17 January 2017

International law firm is opening an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after winning regulatory approval. It will be the company’s ninth office in Asia and its 27th globally.

Approval in the form of a Qualified Foreign Law Firm licence was recently granted by the Bar Council Malaysia. The office is expected to open in May, and lawyers working there will advise on transactions, disputes and Islamic finance, Herbert Smith Freehills said in a statement.

The development means the firm’s Southeast Asia practice will operate from Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, handling matters for clients in all 10 ASEAN nations. Throughout the Asia-Pacific region, the firm has 1,500 lawyers in total.

Other office openings in recent years include new premises in New York and Doha in 2012; in Berlin, Frankfurt and Seoul in 2013; in Johannesburg in 2015, along with the addition of a foreign law alliance with Singapore law firm Prolegis; and in Riyadh and Düsseldorf in 2016.

Last December, Herbert Smith Freehills appointed partner Richard Norridge to the role of head of trust and estates disputes. Norridge is particularly well known in Asian markets, having been based in Hong Kong since 2011. He also provides trusts advisory expertise as well as specialist knowledge in the areas of family companies, charities and mental capacity. In his new role he is based in London, but will divide his time between Hong Kong and London and is active on Hong Kong cases. The HSF team is made up of market leading professionals, including Tom Leech QC in the firm’s London office, as well as Joanna Caen and Gareth Thomas in Hong Kong.