Sidley Austin has taken further steps to ramp up its Singapore practice this week with the recruitment of Morgan Lewis & Bockius M&A partner Gregory Salathe.

The US firm was one of the four international outfits granted a Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) licence in the Asian city-state in February this year, allowing it to advise on local law.

Salathe, who focuses on cross border M&A deals, funds and private equity, was a strategic hire for the firm, who recently announced plans to re-launch its funds practice in Singapore with the hire of Clifford Chance partner Han Ming Ho.

In 2011, Jones Day hired the firm's Singapore investment funds partner Carolyn McNabb.

"Greg has extensive experience representing clients in Asia-related cross-border M&A transactions and understands exceptionally well the myriad issues that private equity and hedge funds face when they make downstream investments in the region," said Asia managing partner Thomas Albrecht.

"That experience makes him a valuable addition to our practice. His appointment, together with that of investment funds partner Han Ming Ho, significantly enhances our ability to advise our funds clients in the region on their most important legal matters including formation, regulatory compliance, downstream acquisitions and other corporate transactions."

Since being awarded its QFLP licence, Sidley has made clear its plans to bolster the regional office, with a mix of international and locally qualified partners.

According to Albrecht, up and coming hires will be in the life sciences, energy and infrastructure sectors, whilst there is also room to launch an arbitration practice.

Last month the firm hired energy M&A partner Tom Deegan from Simmons & Simmons in Hong Kong.

"We are trying to balance our local capability with internationally qualified lawyers," Albrecht told Legal Week.

"We will be hiring more people, but this is a long process. I'm very pleased with what we have been able to put together so far."

Sidley currently has six offices in Asia, located in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

The firm, which continues to expand its Asian presence, is among those eyeing Singapore as a base from which to grow its M&A practice and other global groups in South East Asia.