The Singapore office of international law firm Hill Dickinson has joined forces with local firm PDLegal LLC in an alliance that allows both firms to extend their scope of services.
The two firms have entered into a Formal Law Alliance, which received approval from the Singapore Legal Services Regulatory Authority and became effective from 1 August 2024. It will operate under the name Hill Dickinson PDLegal Alliance.
The alliance will be able to accept instructions on Singapore law as well as foreign – including English – law matters, pooling the resources of the two firms. Both firms remain entirely separate entities while being able to advise and assist clients jointly in an efficient and streamlined fashion.
Hill Dickinson opened in Singapore in 2009 and has grown to become one of the largest and busiest Marine and Trade teams in the country. The team is particularly well-renowned for its casualty, shipping and trade disputes work. It also has a growing reputation for commercial arbitration, especially in respect of offshore and marine construction, and in marine-related transactional work and commercial advisory services, including regulatory and sanctions matters.
PDLegal LLC is a leading full-service regional law firm, headquartered in Singapore. The firm’s experienced team of lawyers have been consistently ranked and recognised by legal directories and publications and are equipped to handle matters related to a broad range of practices. They include corporate and commercial, disputes, FinTech, insolvency and restructuring, maritime and shipping, and real estate. PDLegal’s extensive clientele includes multinational and blue-chip companies, government-linked agencies, professionals and high net worth individuals.
“Our decision to partner with a local law firm is in direct response to what our clients have told us they need,” explained Andrew Lee, managing partner of Hill Dickinson’s Singapore office. “In the 15 years since we opened in Singapore, the key to our success has been to work closely with our clients, really listen to what they want and evolve our service offering to accommodate that.”
He continued “Partnering with PDLegal at this juncture comes at exactly the right time for us as an established international law firm practising in Singapore. The alliance allows us to simplify the legal process for our clients by giving them a single point of contact for all their legal matters, whether subject to local or international law. Knowing that they can directly access Singapore law advice through Hill Dickinson not only in respect of arbitration matters, which we already do, but in many more areas, gives our clients the added reassurance that we have responded to their requirements and that they will continue to benefit from the very highest levels of legal excellence and client care.”
Peter Doraisamy, managing partner of PDLegal, added:
“Hill Dickinson is a global commercial law firm and we are excited to join forces with them. This demonstrates our commitment to growing our capabilities in this globalised world. Being allied with a larger international law firm allows us to provide our clients with the holistic support needed to navigate the complexities of international law while ensuring compliance with local regulations. The FLA further adds to our regional capabilities offered through our Thailand office, and our China, India, and Malaysia Desks.”
Under the Formal Law Alliance (FLA), the firms will work more closely together and jointly undertake work requiring expertise in both English and Singapore law.
