Rajah & Tann Singapore sets up Brunei Desk

Rajah & Tann Singapore (R&T), the city-state’s leading law firm, has set up a Brunei Desk in Singapore to serve clients who require reliable legal advice covering the spectrum of commercial law outside the sultanate.
The latest initiative means that the firm through Rajah & Tann Asia will be comprehensively represented in all 10 ASEAN countries. The Brunei practice will be international arbitration, particularly infrastructure, construction and complex commercial disputes, and on investments in the region, said Kendall Tan, a partner in R&T and a Brunei-law qualified practitioner who heads the Brunei Desk.
Patrick Ang, Managing Partner of R&T, said: “The Brunei Desk completes the last piece of the Southeast Asia puzzle for us. Our clients will now enjoy a panoply of legal services across the widest geographic representation through Rajah & Tann Asia.
“In particular, our Brunei Desk is led by lawyers with extensive experience in the region with an excellent track record in international arbitration and investment work.”
Mr Tan added: “In the past five to six years, with Brunei seeking to diversify its economy, we have noticed an upward trend in outbound legal work from Brunei firms due to our regional presence and the broad spectrum of expertise we offer. We feel that now is an opportune time to have a dedicated Brunei Desk. We intend to continue working very closely with Bruneian lawyers who know the local terrain better than us.”
As the economy expands, Mr Tan believes that more multi-national corporations will look towards Brunei to set up operations, and more Bruneian firms will venture outside the sultanate to diversify their revenue base.
R&T has been assisting clients in Brunei since 1996 in a range of practice areas including corporate and commercial dispute resolution, intellectual property, insurance, international arbitration, shipping, technology, and media and telecommunications. Some of the clients have included the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam, and Bruneian companies who have business and trading activities outside Brunei.