SINGAPORE--(Marketwire - August 9, 2010) - Continuing the expansion of its global footprint in energy and international arbitration, King & Spalding announced today that it has applied for government permission to open an office in Singapore to serve as the regional hub for its work in both disciplines.
The new office will be managed by Philip R. Weems, who will also continue as head of King & Spalding's global energy practice from his new Singapore base. A recognized authority on LNG-related matters who has worked in Asia, including Indonesia, for nearly three decades, Weems served as managing partner of King & Spalding's Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi offices from 2007 until earlier this year. He is past president of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.
Joining Weems in Singapore will be partner Daniel R. Rogers, an international transactions lawyer with extensive experience on major projects in Asia, and international arbitration specialist John Savage, who has joined the firm as a partner from Shearman & Sterling where he most recently served as vice chair of international arbitration and headed its Asia disputes practice.
An expert in international commercial arbitration who has worked extensively in Asia and the Middle East, Savage has experience across a range of sectors, including energy and chemicals, as well as with large construction and infrastructure disputes. He also has substantial investment treaty arbitration experience, which complements King & Spalding's highly regarded work in investor-state arbitrations.
Rogers' practice centers on the development, project financing and operation of energy-related infrastructure and transportation projects and transactions, including Asian LNG, oil and gas, power, water, renewable energy, and shipping projects. He represents sponsors, lenders, suppliers, transporters, processors, operators and marketers in all aspects of the international energy value chain.
"John Savage is recognized as one of the leading arbitration practitioners in Asia, and his deep roots in Singapore and the region add another critical dimension to our global commercial disputes practice," said Robert D. Hays Jr., King & Spalding's chairman. "Singapore's establishment as a key international arbitration center for commercial disputes in Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Australia, coupled with a steady increase in energy and infrastructure investment throughout the region, make it a compelling center for the continued expansion of our energy and arbitration practices."
Said Savage, "I am excited to be joining King & Spalding's team of outstanding international arbitration lawyers and look forward to contributing to the continued growth of its commercial arbitration work. The firm's culture of high performance and collegiality are especially appealing and make King & Spalding an extremely good fit for me."
"Our international energy clients are recognizing Singapore's advantages as a stepping-off point for energy-related transactions and other activities across Asia," said Weems. "As a firm, we already have a significant base of energy transactions clients in Southeast Asia and Australia. Establishing an office in Singapore is a natural consequence of our expanding portfolio of client matters and our intense focus on being where clients need us. It also will give us a geographically advantageous base as we continue to expand our global practices in such areas as Islamic finance, real estate and private equity where our work is already highly sought after in Asia, and for the further development of our work in India.
The opening of an office in Singapore is the latest in a series of strategic moves by King & Spalding to invest and grow in key global markets, industries and legal disciplines. Last fall, the firm opened an office in Paris after having recruited Eric A. Schwartz, a top arbitration lawyer and former secretary general of the International Court of Arbitration, and James Castello, another arbitration expert. In June, it announced the hiring of a five-lawyer energy transactions team in London led by partners Garry Pegg and Hywel Jones from Hogan Lovells, as well as the opening of an office in Geneva concentrating on international trade matters. In April, the firm also added energy lawyers Timothy M. Burbury and Leroy Levy to its offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively.
Singapore will be the eighth office outside the United States opened by King & Spalding, which is consistently ranked among the top energy and arbitration practices in the world. Among other accolades, the firm's international arbitration practice won the 2010 Chambers USA Award of Excellence and was ranked No. 2 in Focus Europe's arbitration scorecard in 2009 and 2008. The firm took top honors in the project finance, infrastructure and energy category as the best U.S. law firm at the 2010 International Legal Alliance Summit and a King & Spalding oil tank storage development deal in Latin America was named Project Finance's best refinancing in 2009.
About King & Spalding
Celebrating 125 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Houston, London, New York, Paris, Riyadh (affiliated office), San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. The firm represents half of the Fortune 100 and, according to a Corporate Counsel survey in August 2009, ranks fifth in its total number of representations of those companies. For additional information, visit www.kslaw.com
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Les Zuke
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lzuke@kslaw.com