On August 1 it will be four years since U.K. law firm Osborne Clarke launched in Singapore. The longevity of the office bears more significance following the firm's decision to close its Hong Kong office.

But for Chia-Ling Koh, who heads up Osborne Clarke's Singapore office which trades as OC Queen Street, the firm's presence in Singapore is about much more than just maintaining a presence in Asia. Being in the country is a vital part of its focus on technology — particularly financial technology, or fintech — he says.

Every firm from the Magic Circle to smaller shops is trying to build up a tech presence, according to Koh. "We don't have a unique selling point if we just tell people we are tech lawyers. We already bill ourselves as tech lawyers; and we need to up the ante," he says.