New regional legal network, DNA, formed by Drew & Napier, Makarim & Taira S. and Shearn Delamore & Co.

On 2 March 2020, three well established South East Asian law firms, Drew & Napier LLC from Singapore, Makarim & Taira S. from Indonesia, and Shearn Delamore & Co. from Malaysia, formed an alliance to launch a blue chip regional legal network, Drew Network Asia (DNA).

The DNA network is a full service legal team with international perspective, strong local expertise and impeccable service standards. DNA is a regional platform which will enable our clients who seek legal advice and representation within the ASEAN region to obtain integrated and collaborative legal service.

While remaining independent, depending on the clients’ needs, we operate as a “firm of firms” so that our clients will be seamlessly serviced in multiple jurisdictions.

Each pillar of DNA has a track record of a client-focused approach, high quality legal advice, and cutting-edge solutions. All DNA firms have also consistently garnered client recognition and prominent accolades in the world’s most prestigious international legal publications.

Drew & Napier, established since 1889, is one of the largest and most established, full service law firms in Singapore with over 250 fee earners. Our Dispute Resolution practice is consistently singled out as unparalleled, achieving top tier rankings in prestigious international publications for over a decade. Our International Arbitration Practice has been similarly identified among the world’s top 100 practices by the Global Arbitration Review since 2010. We are pre-eminent in Competition & Antitrust, Corporate Insolvency & Restructuring, Intellectual Property (Patents and Trade Marks), Tax and Telecommunications, Media & Technology, and have market leading practices in Mergers & Acquisitions, Banking & Finance, and Capital Markets.

Established in 1905, Shearn Delamore & Co. is one of the oldest and largest full-service law firms in Malaysia, with more than 110 fee earners providing comprehensive services to domestic and international clients. Our extensive practice includes Dispute Resolution, Corporate & M&A, Intellectual Property, Employment, Tax, Competition & Antitrust, Banking & Finance, Technology, Media & Telco, Infrastructure & Projects, Construction, Regulatory Compliance & Enforcement, Real Estate and Shipping. Our practice groups and partners have consistently topped rankings by leading international legal publications, and we are a 4-time recipient of Chambers Asia Pacific’s Malaysia Law Firm of the Year award. We maintain extensive global network links with foreign law firms and multilateral agencies, including the World Law Group (WLG), the World Services Group (WSG) and the Employment Law Alliance (ELA).

Founded in 1980 by two Harvard graduates, Makarim & Taira S. is one of Indonesia’s leading full service law firms with over 60 fee earners. We have a proven track record of successfully navigating Indonesia’s complex and fast-changing environment, and continue to be a leader in both the traditional practice areas of Corporate services, Banking, Finance, Foreign Investment, Litigation, Infrastructure, and Employment, as well as emerging growth areas such as Anti-Trust/Competition, Power and Energy, Intellectual Property, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, and Fintech. We have a longstanding reputation among policymakers, regulators, state-owned companies and world-leading industry groups, and have become the favoured, trusted Indonesian counsel on every aspect of doing business in Indonesia. Our work is recognised by a number of leading international legal surveys and publications worldwide. To better serve our clients, we also have an international reach to prominent firms recognised globally as leading experts in the industry through the World Law Group (WLG) and the World Services Group (WSG).

“This is just the beginning of the DNA journey. We are currently in talks with top firms from other ASEAN countries. Our aspiration is to be the network of choice for any client looking to have legal representation of the highest quality throughout ASEAN.” 

Cavinder Bull SC, Chief Executive Officer, Drew & Napier

“This is a wonderful new chapter for us. DNA member firms all share a common vision and standard of care for our valued clients. As an independent law firm in Indonesia, this network will help us reach a wider region and expand the breadth of our services in many ways.”

Lia Alizia, Managing Partner, Makarim & Taira S.

"We are excited to kick start this network and we believe our firms’ collective experience and synergies place us in an excellent position to expand into the region. This is a selection of well-respected firms in Asia and we are proud to call ourselves the “firm of firms”".

Dhinesh Bhaskaran, Managing Partner, Shearn Delamore & Co.