Leading Law Firm Cains Opens Regional Office In Singapore
Cains, a leading Isle of Man commercial law firm, has officially opened an Asia-Pacific regional office in Singapore. The new office will provide Cains with the opportunity to advise existing clients from an office within the region, whilst also providing a physical base and presence for further international business development.
In recent years, Cains has firmly established itself as a leading legal adviser in Asia, with a particular expertise in asset finance transactions and capital markets work. The firm has been particularly successful in advising Asian companies and investment funds on flotations on numerous exchanges, including the Singapore Stock Exchange.
The office will be headed by Mike Edwards, a director of Cains, who has been with the firm since 2000. His areas of practice include capital markets and asset finance. Over the past few years, he has been instrumental in expanding Cains’ business into the India market, working very closely with Indian companies looking to incorporate and list overseas.
Cains has been in existence in the Isle of Man for over 100 years and commands a prominent position in the provision of global legal services. It was recently named ‘offshore law firm of the year’ by the judges of The Lawyer Awards 2008, who cited Cains’ work with Indian companies coming to the London market via the Isle of Man as a key factor in the firm’s win. Last year, Cains was listed by Hemscott as the firm with the most clients in the AIM 100, including 75 per cent of Indian AIM admitted businesses, worth a combined £3.83 billion.
The Lawyer Awards' judging panel, composed of a group of senior advisers from the City of London institutions and the media, described Cains as "an offshore firm with a difference" and one that is "punching well above its weight". The judges attributed the firm's success over its competitors to an "entrepreneurial spirit" instilled by Cains' progressive corporate management structure.
Cains was also named “Offshore firm of the year” at the 2007 British Legal Awards; where it was commended by the judging panel for its successful expansion into new markets, high quality of client work, nurture and retention of talent, strong leadership and cohesive culture.
Edwards’ start-up team in Singapore will include locally qualified corporate lawyers, Joanna Teng, formerly a corporate finance partner at David Lim & Partners, who has substantial corporate and capital markets experience, and Stephanie Chew, who joins Cains from Drew & Napier’s banking and corporate department.
“This is a great milestone for Cains and the next logical step in the evolution of the firm,” said Edwards. “It is evident that as markets in the West slow down, investors are looking to the East, and Singapore is well positioned as Asia’s financial hub and a gateway to emerging global markets.
“In recent years, the Isle of Man has firmly established itself as a key conduit to the world’s capital markets, as well as providing a strong platform for global business. We work in a collaborative manner with professional advisers around the world and we believe that the Isle of Man’s favourable taxation, legal, and investment environment makes it an attractive proposition for many Asian companies seeking a market listing.”
The Isle of Man is a leading international finance centre, rated as AAA by Standard & Poor’s, with a secure base built upon political stability, economic independence, low taxation and a firmly established fiscal and regulatory environment. It has one of the most successful economies in Europe and is now in its 23rd year of unbroken growth. The Isle of Man was named the jurisdiction most preferred by non-UK companies wishing to incorporate on London’s AIM, by Hemscott in 2007.
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