The Singapore Business Times is reporting that …
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is boosting its Asian presence by appointing two senior partners to lead its Singapore and Hong Kong practices.
They write…..
The firm – headquartered in New York,and with 2,000 lawyers in 24 offices worldwide – has appointed Rajeev Duggal to head its Singapore practice.
Mr Duggal was the Singapore-based general counsel for Citibank’s retail businesses in the Asia-Pacific, and was previously based in New York as assistant general counsel and deputy co-head of Citi’s proprietary M&A legal department.
His appointment to Skadden is a homecoming of sorts – he moved to Citi from the law firm in 2004.
Meanwhile, Paul Mitchard, QC, has relocated from London to Hong Kong to head the firm’s Asian litigation and international arbitration practice there.
‘Paul Mitchard’s move to Hong Kong, and Rajeev Duggal rejoining Skadden in Singapore, represent our continued commitment to Asia,’ said Skadden’s executive partner Eric J Friedman.
Skadden has more than 100 lawyers in the Asia-Pacific and has been involved in many of the region’s largest and most complex transactions.
Mr Duggal told BT yesterday that Singapore has become an important node in the firm’s Asia-Pacific operations.
‘Despite the crisis, Asian banks and financial institutions have remained strong,’ he said.
‘And Singapore’s importance in banking and finance, within Asia, has grown.
‘Investment banks have been steadily building up their Asia-Pacific presence here. Part of this growth has been due to the government’s initiatives, but there is also a quality-of-life story here. Many global senior executives want to relocate to Singapore.
‘Skadden has been here for over a decade, and adding a partner in Singapore just shows how strongly we feel about Asia, and Singapore in particular.’ he added.
The firm was named M&A Law Firm of the Year, China, at the 2008 Asia M&A Atlas Awards, and was ranked first by dollar value among US firms in Asia, excluding Japan, by Mergermarket and Bloomberg in 2008.
Skadden also received six ‘Deal of the Year’ awards in 2008 from Asian-Counsel magazine – more than any other law firm.
And in March 2009, it was named 2008 Private Equity Team of the Year by the International Financial Law Review at its Asian Awards.
