UK Firm Nabarro Hires Local As Partner In Singapore

UK firm Nabarro LLP has? announced the hire of its first partner in Singapore, local lawyer, Glenn Cheng. He will join UK partner Emerson Holmes who is heading up the firm’s new Singapore office.


Here’s the press release in full

Glenn Cheng is an international engineering and construction law specialist, focusing primarily on oil and gas, civil and marine engineering, on and off shore infrastructure and building projects. He has experience in projects and transactions throughout South East Asia and the Asia Pacific region, and is a Fellow of the Singapore and Malaysian Institutes of Arbitration. He is a panel arbitrator and emergency arbitrator with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre and also sits on arbitrator panels with the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration, the Dubai International Arbitration Centre and the Pacific International Arbitration Centre in Vietnam.

Emerson Holmes has moved to Singapore from the firm’s construction and engineering disputes group in London. He specialises in construction and engineering arbitration and mediation. Having spent three years based in Hong Kong, he has significant experience of acting for international companies in arbitration and litigation globally, including specifically in Asia. He was part of the working party established by the United Nations to amend the UNCITRAL Model Law on Procurement, including construction projects.

Emerson and Glenn will be supported by Zo? Stollard, a UK-qualified construction lawyer. Zo? has over six years’ experience acting for developers, funders and outsourcing contractors on a variety of projects.

The decision to open the office was made to take advantage of the growing reputation of Singapore as a leading independent international arbitration centre, and the strength of the firm’s construction arbitration practice. With the continuing growth and development of all of the major economies in Asia, the firm believes it can successfully develop one of the region’s leading specialist construction arbitration practices.

A number of the firm’s current construction and engineering clients and contacts have operations in Singapore and in the wider Asian region, which the firm will be able to support through the new office.

The office is the firm’s first base in Asia, opening up further opportunities in the region. It will also complement the Singapore office of the firm’s German alliance partner, GSK Stockmann & Kollegen, which has a broad based commercial practice focused primarily on German companies operating in the area.

The office is based in the Central Business District, 50 Raffles Place, 22-01 Singapore Land Tower, Singapore 048623

Simon Johnston, Senior Partner, Nabarro commented, ?Opening an office in Asia is a very significant and strategic move for us. Both the economic growth and the development of Singapore as a leading international centre for arbitration, gives us a great opportunity to develop a leading international arbitration practice, complementing the firm’s existing client base and practice areas.

Office Head, Emerson Holmes, said ?The firm has a great heritage in construction and engineering disputes, and it is that expertise we feel will give us a leading edge in Singapore and the Asian market. Glenn has a wealth of experience and having him as part of the team bolsters our ambitions, and we?re delighted to have him on board. His professional background and practice in Singapore has a powerful synergy with the firm?s objectives in Asia, fitting well with our initial focus to build an international construction arbitration practice.?