One Essex Court and 39 Essex Street have both announced plans to open in Singapore, as internationalisation continues to rise up the agenda for the Bar.

Both chambers are set to open in the region after sending delegations to Singapore earlier this year to meet with local government and discuss recent moves to relax rules for foreign counsel.

The sets will take office space in Singapore's arbitration and mediation centre Maxwell Chambers (pictured), with 39 Essex Street planning to go live from mid-November.

Personal injury barrister Roderick Noble will relocate from 39 Essex Street's London office to the Asia base to take up the role of Asia business manager, with further relocations yet to be agreed. One Essex Court is still in the process of deciding who will staff its local base.

The two sets will become the latest chambers to secure a presence in the region, with 20 Essex Street and Essex Court Chambers both having occupied space in Maxwell Chambers since 2009.

David Barnes, chief executive and director of clerking at 39 Essex Street, said: "We've been receiving instructions from clients in Asia for a number of years across Hong Kong and increasingly Singapore. The Singapore Government has moved to relax the rules for foreign counsel appearing before the Singapore courts, which indicates that there is likely to be an increased demand for specialist silks from the UK.

"Following a recent delegation to the region that involved a number of meetings with the Singapore Government, we felt it was the right move to now develop a presence on the ground there."

The news comes after the Singapore Government launched a consultation last summer, recommending that QCs and other senior foreign counsel be granted advocacy rights in the region for the first time in more than a decade.