Drew & Napier’s Deputy CEO Sushil Nair quoted in Law.com article on regional firms seeking global opportunities amid Big Law's retreat in Asia

Drew & Napier’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sushil Nair was quoted in a Law.com article which discussed how political polarisation and global crises have led to the retreat of Big Law players in Asia, prompting regional Asian firms to seek international exposure. In the past 18 months, there were new office openings in China by two of the big four firms in Singapore. Indian law firms have also set up shop in Singapore as well as in the Middle East. However, some have decided to join and launch global and regional legal networks to seek out opportunities and bridge the divide.

The article highlighted Drew’s efforts to enhance our regional presence through the launch of Drew Network Asia (DNA) in 2020. It also noted DNA’s recent expansion with the addition of Thailand-headquartered Tilleke & Gibbins, further extending our reach across Southeast Asia.

Sushil shared in the interview that, “It isn't just about the spread, DNA’s edge lies in the fact that its members are ‘best in class’”.

“These are firms that [clients] would have gone to anyway,” he said. “But now we're able to offer [them] a one-stop shop, cover the entire ASEAN region with just one entity.”

He added that forming the alliance was initially driven by the desire to enhance Drew & Napier’s corporate offerings, stating, “I think that when the idea of putting the alliance together was first discussed, the corporate opportunities were probably the stronger element in our minds.”

Sushil further commented that the network has opened doors for regional M&A and corporate opportunities that might not have come to them otherwise, saying, “… [the network has] has definitely helped the ability of our M&A, our corporate team generally, to go pitch for regional work and say that we can get you advice in three to four different jurisdictions. It has opened the doors to work that may not have obviously come to us before," he said.

Subscribers of Law.com may click here to access the full article, which is behind a paywall.