RPC Rebuilds Singapore Joint Law Venture With Clyde & Co Team
A three-lawyer disputes team, led by partner Gerald Yee, joins RPC Premier Law from Clyde & Co's own joint law venture in the city-state.
June 03, 2019 at 05:00 AM
3 minute read
Singapore. Photo: Prasit Rodphan/Shutterstock.com.
U.K. firm RPC, whose joint law venture in Singapore is about to lose a disputes team, is already rebuilding.
A three-lawyer disputes team joins RPC Premier Law from Clyde & Co's own joint law venture in the city-state — Clyde & Co Clasis Singapore. The team is led by partner Gerald Yee, who joined on June 1; the remaining two lawyers will make the jump in July.
A litigator and arbitrator, Yee specialises in shipping, marine insurance, commodities and oil and gas disputes. He joined Clyde & Co Clasis in 2014 as a partner from Singaporean firm Colin Ng & Partners (rebranded as CNPLaw since April), where he was a partner and head of its admiralty and shipping group.
Previously, Yee practised at legacy Ince & Co for two years, including five months as a Shanghai partner, and at Singaporean firm Joseph Tan Jude Benny.
Antony Sassi, RPC's Hong Kong-based Asia managing partner, said in a statement that Yee's focus on commercial and energy disputes fits the firm's strategy to build on its key strategic areas. "And, of course, Gerald's insurance experience also further enhances our market-leading regional insurance practice," he added.
The hire of Yee's team covers the loss of nine lawyers from RPC Premier Law. Disputes head Siraj Omar is leading an eight-lawyer disputes team joining Singaporean firm Drew & Napier on July 1; and private clients director Erlene Tan left for Withers KhattarWong in May.
There was also a string of departures in Hong Kong – RPC's only other Asian office. At least 16 lawyers, including three partners, left the firm since June last year. David Smyth, who has been office head and senior partner in Hong Kong, also retired from the partnership last month.
Sassi said the firm is currently in talks to hire more lawyers in either office, in the commercial disputes, corporate, technology, retail, regulatory and insurance areas.
Meanwhile, the Singapore departures from Clyde & Co come as the U.K. firm also hit speed bumps in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Former Hong Kong partner and construction head Ian Cocking and partner Dennis Wong both left Clyde & Co to launch their own firm. The firm's Indonesian association with Lubis Ganie Surowidjojo recently ended as the Jakarta-based firm entered into an alliance with KPMG Indonesia.
In April, Clyde & Co's Hong Kong-based Asia managing partner Christopher Jobson told The Asian Lawyer that the firm is currently talking to several potential lateral partner hires across Hong Kong and southeast Asia.
Related Stories:
UK's RPC Looks to Rebuild As Eight-Lawyer Disputes Team Leaves in Singapore
China's Jingtian & Gongcheng to Launch Hong Kong Disputes Practice With RPC Duo
Clyde & Co China Construction Head to Launch Own Firm in Hong Kong
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