City firm RPC has agreed a joint venture with Singapore-based Premier Law, as it seeks to take on major banks and financial institutions across Asia.

The venture will be completed on 1 May under the name of RPC Premier Law, and will include four partners and a team totalling 27 in Singapore.

The joint venture will enable RPC to practise Singapore law, which it said is critical for its insurance and marine practice.

The tie-up will build on the firm's existing practice in Singapore, where it currently has a team of 14 handling litigation, arbitration and transactional work.

Financial litigation will be one of the key practice areas for the joint venture, as RPC said Premier Law is one of the few firms in Singapore with the capability and freedom from conflicts to take on major banks and financial institutions.

RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough said: 'We have spent several years looking for the final piece in an evolving puzzle. In Premier Law we have found the right strategic partner to allow us to offer the full suite of dispute resolution, transactional and insurance services across three of the leading financial centres in the world – London, Singapore and Hong Kong.'