Clifford Chance (CC) has partnered with a newly formed Singapore disputes boutique to establish what the firm claims is the first full service, integrated legal practice in the region, under the banner of Clifford Chance Asia.

CC received approval from Singapore regulators this week to form a Formal Law Alliance (FLA) with Cavenagh Law, allowing it to provide local litigation advice in addition to its current offering.

Cavenagh, which focuses on dispute resolution, was established this year and comprises three partners, one counsel and five associates.

The partner trio are managing partner Harpreet Singh and Paul Sandosham, a specialist in energy, infrastructure and construction-related disputes – both of who join from Singapore's WongPartnership – and CC litigation partner Nish Shetty, a Singaporean who founded the disputes practice at CC in Singapore in 2009.

Under the terms of the agreement, local litigators from the firm will brought formally under the CC banner, offering them career opportunities with the UK firm as well as access to its global resources.

The magic circle firm has offered local law in Singapore since 2008 after receiving its Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) licence, although the licence does not permit the firm to offer local litigation advice.

Geraint Hughes, the firm's managing partner for Singapore said: "We can now offer our clients high quality advice and service across the broadest range of Singapore and international law expertise available in the market. As transactions and, consequently, disputes become ever more cross-border, our clients increasingly need and want to access this expertise from one platform in Singapore."

Singh said: "The recent steps in the liberalisation process taken by the Singapore Government further strengthen Singapore's position as a pre-eminent global legal hub.

"As partners, we have made the conscious decision that we should be part of that evolution. We now have a platform to work from Singapore on leading local, regional and global matters as part of a team with CC."

The news comes after it emerged last week that Clyde & Co is set to form a joint law venture with Singapore alliance firm Clasis LLC early next year. The union will enable Clydes' Singapore base to advise on local law, and will provide the legal framework for the two firms to market themselves as one entity and share resources

For more, see Clydes to form joint venture with Singapore ally in local law push.