Eversheds secures Singapore tie

MERGERS: Singapore, Germany and pan-European alliances unveiled as UK firms expand

Eversheds has made its first move into south-east Asia by linking up with a leading Singapore practice, as other international firms set their sights on deeper penetration of the German legal market.The national firm has bagged 40-partner Singapore firm Khattar Wong to create a heavyweight European and Asian practice with 1,910 lawyers.

The firms are planning for the strategic alliance of 5 August to blossom into a formal alliance or joint venture.As a result of the tie, Eversheds will gain an association with CM Chye & Murad in Kuala Lumpur, and access to a Hong Kong office which will act as a 'springboard' into China.Back home, Eversheds has announced that its partners have approved the move to a single financial structure across the firm under streamlined management.

An executive will report to a supervisory board chaired by chairman Keith Jones.Meanwhile, more than 90% of Linklaters partners voted in favour of a merger with German allied partner Oppenhoff & Rdler last Friday.

The vote rubber-stamped its planned 1 January 2001 marriage on schedule.

Linklaters & Paines linked up with the Alliance of European Lawyers, which included Oppenhoffs, to form Linklaters & Alliance in November 1998.

The intention was to merge the firms over three to five years.

Linklaters is not the only firm that is focusing on the rapidly consolidating German market.

City firm Herbert Smith has confirmed it is in merger talks with leading German firm Gleiss Lutz, whose managing partner Martin Diller recently spoke out against German law firms 'giving in' to Anglo-Saxon invaders (see [2000] Gazette, 20 July, 40).Also last week, Commercial Law Affiliates (CLA), one of the world's largest law firm networks, has announced a closer alliance of its 15 European members, including soon-to-merge Hammond Suddards Edge.CLA's 15 European members will form a 'seamless alliance to provide clients with one-stop shopping for legal services', the group said.

However, the firms will remain independent.The alliance encompasses 1,250 lawyers, which according to CLA's research would make CLA Europe the 12th largest legal service provider in Europe on total lawyer numbers.

Anne Mizzi