Summary: Morgan Lewis is merging with Singapore’s Stamford Law Corp.
Morgan Lewis is at it again. Not only did they grab that fine gem Bingham McCutchen’s Boston office, four months ago, but they have recently merged with Singapore’s Stamford Law Corp. 2,000 strong, they are one of the top five firms in the world, and per domestic head count, the largest in the United States of America, they continue to grow through mergers and acquisitions.
“Many of our multinational and U.S. clients are establishing their base of operations in Singapore, and Singapore has established itself as the international hub for Asia,” said Jami Wintz McKeon, chair of Morgan Lewis.
Singapore is a hot prize right now, considering that the dominant Hong Kong has a sketchier future at this point, rendering Singapore a possible alternative.
Stamford holds sway through India and throughout Asia. They are 80 lawyers strong.
“Like a lot of things in life, [the talks with Stamford] were a little bit serendipitous,” said McKeon. “We really found in our first contact that we had a lot to talk about.”
The firms hit it off and negotiations for merger were not long in the making.
“From a practice perspective, we get immediate depth and strength,” said McKeon.
What she means is that the standard restrictions for offshore firms in Singapore, such as that they stick to one or two practice areas in a time-limited license, do not apply in the same way to the new firm, which will be known as Morgan Lewis Stamford, in Singapore, when the new arrangement goes into effect April 1. The new firm will focus on mergers and acquisitions, financial markets, energy, and international arbitration.
Following its acquisition of Bingham McCutchen, which at 1,100 lawyers held quite some sway in its day, this is more of the sort of thing the firm has been doing all along in its growth.