LAW
Ince & Co become first the English maritime law firm to enter into a local law alliance
ingapore’s legal system has been undergoing a slow, but gradual liberalisation in terms of
An incisive practice S
how much Singapore law work international firms can undertake.One of the more significant initiatives has been to allow international firms to enter into an alliance with a local firm. The local firm can be specifically set up for this purpose. English maritime law firms have a
Tricia Tong
major presence in Singapore, and Ince & Co has become the first to go down the alliance route, setting up local firm Incisive LLC. Licenses for the formal law alliance were
attained recently and Incisive started operations on 28 March this year. The partners of Ince & Co in Singapore are
clearly excited as to what this new development means for the firm, and its ability to act for its clients. Richard Lovell,managing partner of Ince & Co in Singapore, describes it as a “very significant event” especially for the firm’s international clients. Where as in the past the firm had to engage a
local law firm to practice in Singapore, Incisive will now be able to offer this service inhouse to Ince’s clients.“Through that alliance we are effectively able to do a number of things we have been unable to do before,” Lovell says. Principle of these will be being able to offer the firm’s clients Singapore law
advice.The firm will also be able to represent its clients in the local courts and in domestic arbitrations. Further with the bringing in of new lawyers in non-contentious practice into Incisive the firm will be able to offer full legal service to its clients. Under the terms of the license Incisive will
operate from within the offices of Ince & Co in Singapore in a fully integrated
manner.The two firms are allowed to be marketed jointly and the lawyers of Incisive will also carry the Ince & Co logo on their name cards. “That firm [Incisive] comprises five senior
Singapore lawyers who we have handpicked over a period of time,” says Lovell. The five lawyers at Incisive comprise Mohan
Subbaraman, BernardYee, Bill Ricquier, Carolyn Chia, all of who join from other firms or private practice, as well asTriciaTong,who moves from Ince & Co,where she was recently made a partner. Subbaraman,who worked with Ince & Co for many years at local firm Gurbani & Co, says he was attracted by the uniqueness of the job. He adds,“Having already worked with Ince for many years it seemed like
quite a natural progression to have a more formal tie-up.”
“That is the start team and we already have
plans for two more lawyers coming in, probably in the fairly near future,” Lovell explains. He says the firm has had “a fantastic response”
from clients to the new developments.“Our clients get a single point of contact rather than having to deal with two firms and all the inevitable delay and duplication that causes.” For example in the case of a ship arrest previously Ince & Co would get instructions from the client to instruct a local
firm.The local lawyers would then have to be briefed, as well as both firms carrying out non- conflict checks. By contrast with the alliance set up he says,“We are all speaking in the same language to the client”. With the new capabilities that additional
lawyers at Incisive bring, Ince & Co is looking to capatilise on its ability to help international shipping companies and related businesses set up
here.That is very significant in our case for the increasing number of international clients, particularly shipowenrs who are looking to set up
here.Traditionally that has been Scandinavia, India and Japan but we notice more recently from Greece and I imagine that trend will continue,” he says.“That is particularly very important in the contribution we can make in a full sense to the government drive to establish Singapore as an international maritime centre.” While Ince & Co may be the first English
maritime law firm to get a license for a local law alliance it certainly does not expect to be the last. “We believe we are the first of the English maritime firms to achieve that and we believe others will follow,” Lovell says.
Seatrade Singapore Report 2011 33 Bill Ricquier
Mohan Subbaraman
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