SINGAPORE, January 16, 2007 - Duane Morris LLP announced today the opening of an office in Singapore.
The Singapore office will be led by Duane Morris partner and former Mexican Ambassador to Singapore Eduardo Ramos-Gómez, who served from 1998 to 2001. Well known in Singapore's business and government sectors, Eduardo has been a New York-based Duane Morris partner since 2004. Joining Eduardo is a group of five distinguished partners currently practicing in Singapore: Rudy Lim, former partner at DLA Piper; Lian Yok Tan, former associate at White & Case; Chris Muessel, currently a special counsel at Baker & McKenzie (joining February 1); Sandor E. Schick, former counsel at Shearman & Sterling; and Adam Summerly, former counsel at Jones Day.
It is anticipated that three to four associates will join the Singapore office in the coming weeks.
In addition, Duane Morris will open two offices in Vietnam, one in Hanoi and the other in Ho Chi Minh City, in the spring of 2007.
The Singapore office will focus on the areas of corporate finance, project finance, energy, cross-border transactions, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and telecommunications.
Douglas Woloshin, who was instrumental in helping to establish the Asian presence, will continue to maintain a liaison function with the offices in Singapore and Vietnam. Toward this end, Doug will also lead the firm's Project Finance Practice Group, which is expected to be a key component of the firm's Asian practice. Doug will bring his valuable skills and experience to the office as he concentrates his practice in the areas of corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and corporate and project finance.
"We understand our Singapore office will place us among the top five U.S. firms in Singapore and at the time we open our Vietnam offices, we will be only one of two U.S.-based firms in Vietnam," said Sheldon Bonovitz, Chairman of Duane Morris. "Our move into Asia by way of Singapore, an established center of business, will firmly launch Duane Morris as a significant factor in this fast-growing part of the world economy," he said. Bonovitz commented that Vietnam is one of the faster-growing economies in the world, with a heavy investment concentration in that country from Singapore and other countries in Asia, as well as the United States. The Singapore partners will service clients in, or with interests in Cambodia, China and Taiwan, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. The office and staff are fluent in most of the languages of the countries in which the firm services clients.
"I am pleased and honored to be returning to the country I called home for three years as the Mexican Ambassador," said Eduardo. "Singapore is a place of great economic vitality and I look forward to serving our clients' legal needs in the region."
Singapore boasts a thriving free-market economy with a per capita gross domestic product equal to that of the leading Western European countries. The country has seen rapid growth in recent years, reporting a real growth rate of 6.4 percent in 2005, due in large part to government efforts to establish the country as a Southeast Asia financial center.
Vietnam has also emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, with a gross domestic product growth rate second only in the region to China in 2005. The manufacturing, information technology and high-tech sectors in Vietnam have experienced significant economic growth during the past decade.
Ambassador Eduardo Ramos-Gómez heads the Singapore office. An international and corporate lawyer for more than 20 years, he advises multinational and foreign companies in Asia, North America, Europe and Latin America on cross-border direct foreign investment, project development and project finance. His practice encompasses a broad range of international investments, mergers and acquisitions, securities, financing, joint ventures, licensing, venture capital formation and investments, privatization, infrastructure projects, and other corporate transactions in the United States, Latin America and Asia.
Eduardo formerly served as Mexico's Ambassador to Singapore, Negara Brunei Darussalam and the Union of Myanmar. He is commissioner of the Commission on Globalization World Forum, president of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, vice chair of the Mexican Law Committee of the Section of International Law and Practice for the American Bar Association, and chapter chair of the International Division of International Law and Practice Section of the New York Bar Association. Eduardo will also head the Latin America desk in the Singapore office. He is a graduate of the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City and a graduate of the University of Virginia (LL.M.).
Rudy Lim, former partner at DLA Piper, practices in the areas of project development and finance, and has worked on numerous power and infrastructure projects across Asia. He has also successfully counseled clients on matters involving cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital investments, debt restructuring, and certain aspects of international trade laws and WTO regulations.
Chris Muessel, currently serving as special counsel at Baker & McKenzie, focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, oil and gas law, project finance, general corporate, and venture capital/private equity matters. He also has advised on transactional law for middle market corporations. In addition, Chris is the current chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam. He will also play an integral role in the development of the firm's presence in Vietnam upon his February 1 arrival.
Sandor Schick, former counsel at Shearman & Sterling LLP, focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance. He earned his J.D. from Columbia University Law School in 1985. Sandor graduated from Harvard University with a Ph.D. in 1982 and an M.A. in 1979. Sandor is a member of the International Insolvency Institute, an organization of some of the leading insolvency practitioners in the world, and has represented creditors' committees and debtors in the largest restructurings in Asia.
Adam Summerly, former counsel at Jones Day, focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, energy delivery and power, energy utilities, private equity, and lending/structured finance and deliveries. In 1991, he completed his Law Society Finals from The College of Law in Guildford, England. Adam earned his B.A. from the University of Nottingham in 1990.
Lian Yok Tan, former associate at White & Case, focuses her practice in the areas of energy, infrastructure and project finance. She was involved in the development of coal-fired power plant projects in Thailand; the construction, operation and maintenance contracts for oil fields in Indonesia; and the development of wind farm projects in India. Lian earned her LL.B. from the University of Wales in 1993.
Douglas Woloshin serves on the firm's Partners' Board and heads the Project Finance Practice Group, in addition to his work in Singapore. Doug concentrates his practice in the areas of corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and corporate and project finance. He also has accumulated experience in cross-border transactions, venture capital/private equity financing, distressed asset transactions, and international joint venture formation as well as being a tax accountant. A member of the American Bar Association, Douglas is a 1973 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and a graduate of Villanova University.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, among the 100 largest law firms in the world, is a full-service firm of more than 600 lawyers. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines. With offices in major markets, and as part of an international network of independent law firms, Duane Morris represents clients across the United States and around the world.