Singapore Singapore. Photo: Shutterstock.com

DLA Piper has bolstered its corporate offering in Singapore with the hire of a partner from Milbank.

David Kuo had been a partner at Milbank since 2015. Prior to that, he was a partner at Allen & Overy in Hong Kong for nearly four years, having joined from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he had been an associate.

Last year, Kuo took a role for Milbank on the $468 million initial public offering of Chinese solar farm operator Xinyi Energy Holdings Ltd. in Hong Kong. He advised BNP Paribas, China International Capital Corp., HSBC and Kingsway Financial Services Group as the joint global coordinators.

Li Qiang, DLA Piper's co-regional managing partner in Asia, said in a statement that Singapore is a key strategic office for growth and  a hub for the firm's ASEAN offering. "David's experience and market profile, combined with his extensive track record in advising corporate clients, will perfectly complement our global corporate business," he said.

Kuo's hire is the latest for DLA Piper in the Asia-Pacific region. In Singapore, the firm recently brought in Herbert Smith Freehills' former Asia debt capital markets head Philip Lee, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer counsel Vincent Seah.

In December, the firm hired litigation and white-collar partner Stephen Wong from local firm Stevenson, Wong & Co in its Hong Kong office.