Thirty Nine Essex Street has launched an office in Kuala Lumpur, making it the first UK chambers to have a presence in Malaysia.

The set has taken an office at the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA). The new chambers will officially open in October and will operate alongside the set's office in Singapore, which launched at the start of 2013.

Roderick Noble, director of Asian business at Thirty Nine Essex Street, will manage the chambers, which will offer both domestic and international arbitration services.

In September last year, barrister and arbitrator Rashda Rana joined chambers to be permanently based in Singapore. She will operate in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and throughout Asia along with other barristers in the set.

David Barnes, chief executive and director of clerking said: "There has been a distinct growth of arbitration in Asia, directly related to the economic growth of the region. As we have many specialist arbitrators, with extensive international experience, and an established relationship with the KLRCA, it seemed a natural move for us to open a dedicated office in Kuala Lumpur."

The KLRCA issued a new set of I-Arbitration rules in September 2012 which are aimed at bringing Malaysian arbitration proceedings in line with those of western markets by incorporating international arbitration standards.

Among the new instructions is a provision for emergency arbitration, giving an option for parties to apply for urgent interim relief, as well as a provision for arbitrators to grant pre-award interest and an option for the consolidation of proceedings and concurrent hearings.

The new arbitration rules coincide with the liberalisation of Malaysia's legal market.

In September, parliament passed its second set of amendments to the Legal Profession Act, allowing foreign law firms to advise clients in Malaysia on a fly-in and fly-out basis as the market opens up, so long as their stay does not exceed 60 days per lawyer per year.

At the same time, authorities clarified the rules for foreign lawyers entering the country for arbitrations, confirming that those seeking to appear as counsel in either international or domestic proceedings would be permitted to enter the country at any time and with no limit on the duration of their stay.

Thirty Nine Essex Street said that its new base would allow the set to capitalise on the development of these rules.