Dua Associates is opening an office in Singapore this month with the former Asia Pacific general counsel of Procter & Gamble. The firm has also hired two lateral equity partners for its Delhi office.

The Singapore office will be headed by former Procter & Gamble general counsel Asia Pacific & Australia Ashok Chhabra, who was previously based in Singapore.

Chhabra joined Dua Associates as a partner in October 2009.

Dua Associates managing partner Ranji Dua said: “It took us a little while to take the step but I think Singapore is becoming very interesting for us because it’s an arbitration hub.”

“It’s also a place for good coordination with our existing clients and a good point to be interacting with international law firms,” he explained.

Dua added that the office would be practising only Indian law and would initially be no bigger than around three to four lawyers.

Dua Associates will be working with Singaporean firms for local law advice.

Other Indian firms operating in Singapore include Kochhar & Co, Nishith Desai Associates and Bangalore private equity boutique Lexygen. In September Vaish Associates inked a best friendship deal with Chinese-Singaporean alliance firm Dacheng Central Chambers.

Dua Associates has also hired two lateral partners in Delhi.

Link Legal co-founder and Dua Associates alumni Munish Sharma in M&A and infrastructure and sole practitioner Dinesh Mathur in litigation have both joined Dua Associates’ equity partnership on 1 January 2010.

It is understood that Munish Sharma’s departure from Link Legal is amicable. Link Legal currently has around 30 lawyers, including seven partners.

In other news as reported on Legally India today, at least three partners and between 20 and 30 Dua Associates lawyers have left to set up a new national firm of 60 lawyers called Tatva Legal.

Photo by Christopher Chan