As the major hub for South East Asia, the island city-state of Singapore continues to attract investment. Yet it still posed a number of challenges for foreign outfits during 2014, ranging from local practice restrictions to fee pressure. Early in the year it was revealed that Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) had missed out on its local licence, and would no longer be practising local law, as White & Case was given a conditional permit, with one year to meet certain targets. 

Some others either didn't grow or scaled back in the city. Among those to downsize significantly was DLA Piper, with a host of partners and lawyers departing as the firm restructured its Asia practice. UK outfit Lawrence Graham also ended its alliance with Singapore law firm PK Wong & Associates in April ahead of its merger with Wragge & Co, and toward the end of the year Addleshaw Goddard came under scrutiny for still having only one partner in the city despite having opened its office there two years ago. 

But irrespective of the challenges, there are a number of firms that invested in the city in 2014 or expressed their interest in investment for the future. PricewaterhouseCoopers and EY both entered the market via local tie-ups and Dechert opened after hiring from O'Melveny & Myers. King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) said it planned to open by the end of the year but is thought to be still awaiting its licence and Simmons & Simmons said it was looking at a joint venture with a local outfit during the year – though the firm is also is yet to announce a tie-up. Mayer Brown meanwhile launched a Singapore-based consultancy arm for Asia with the hire of a five-strong international trade advisory team from Bryan Cave. 

A mix of US and UK outfits also ramped up their existing Singapore practices. Holman Fenwick Wilan became the first firm to move a senior partner to the city as it mulled potential areas of expansion, and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy made a significant lateral hire with the addition of aviation partner Paul Ng from Stephenson Harwood. Jones Day also appointed its first ever Asia managing partner David Carden – to be based in Singapore – and later added Nabarro's office head.

Among the magic circle, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer moved Hong Kong arbitration partner and global practice head Lucy Reed to Singapore, while Clifford Chance said it was transferring its global co-head of projects Nicholas Wong to the city from Paris early next year. Linklaters then announced it was adding a disputes capability with the transfer of Jelita Pandjaitan from Hong Kong, in response to a surge in regional contentious work. At the end of the year, insurance firm Kennedys announced its first aviation partners in Singapore, hiring a seven lawyer team, six of whom were from Clyde & Co.