Duane Morris Selvam (DMS) is set to launch in Myanmar, Shanghai and Thailand next year in a wide-ranging push to expand its presence across Asia.

The firm – a Singapore joint venture between US firm Duane Morris and local firm Selvam -  is also considering opening a base in Cambodia following the trio of launches across the continent.

It will apply for a licence to work in Myanmar before the end of this year, after receiving an invitation to open in the country directly from the attorney-general.

The office, which the firm hopes to launch in the first quarter of 2013, will be led by DMS finance partner and managing director Krishna Ramachandra (pictured), alongside a lateral partner hire yet to be confirmed. The base will open with an initial total of five lawyers.

"We have been considering [a Myanmar launch] since early this year," Ramachandra told Legal Week. "It's been a dynamic space; many firms have been looking at opening up there. But given our relationship with the Government and having done work for them in the past, it just makes a lot of sense for us. We know we'll be welcome in that jurisdiction."

DMS will follow its Myanmar launch with moves into Shanghai and Thailand, both of which it views as important growth markets in Asia.

In Shanghai, the firm is currently in talks with local practices about a potential joint venture, which would result in a team of 15-20 lawyers being co-led by two DMS partners and one representative from the Chinese firm.

Finance partner and DMS director Leon Yee has already been appointed to head the China practice, alongside a second DMS partner is yet to be decided.

Meanwhile, in Thailand the firm will open independently, starting with a team of three or four lawyers and growing to around 12. It is currently in the process of recruiting a partner to oversee the office.

All of the new offices will focus on corporate work, finance and arbitration.

Philadelphia firm Duane Morris merged its Asia operations with legacy Singapore outfit Selvam LLC in March 2011, in a bid to expand its regional footprint with local expertise.

The Singapore practice has since been the headquarters of all of Duane Morris' operations in Asia, also overseeing the firm's work in Vietnam, where it has two bases in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Ramachandra said the the firm is also weighing up how it can move forward with a potential Cambodia launch.

He added that the firm has no current plans to open in other Asia markets such as Hong Kong or Korea, which it will continue to service from the regional desks at its head office.