It has secured a qualified foreign law firm (QFLF) licence from the Malaysian Bar Council. The scheme, introduced in 2014, allows foreign firms and lawyers to practise foreign law in Malaysia.
The first foreign law firm to obtain the licence was Trowers & Hamilton, in 2015.
According to a report in The Lawyer, Malaysia moved to liberalise its legal services sector in June 2014, allowing foreign law firms to establish a presence here through the QFLF licence scheme.
The new regime, according to the report, also allows foreign firms and lawyers to form an international partnership with Malaysian firms, owning up to 40 per cent foreign equity in the joint venture.
So far, however, only two firms have taken advantage of the liberalisation to apply for a QFLF. However, the report said, interest from UK firms and chambers had been growing gradually.
In April 2016, for instance, the firm DAC Beachcroft submitted an application to the Malaysian Bar Council for a licence to form a joint venture in Malaysia.
HSF is an international law firm with headquarters in both London and Sydney. It currently has 26 offices throughout the world. The Malaysian office will be HSF’s fourth in Southeast Asia.
HSF plans to open an office in Kuala Lumpur in May and will focus primarily on transactions, disputes and Islamic finance, according to The Lawyer.
The report said HSF had yet to finalise details on staffing or appoint an office head, but that it expected to have six lawyers on the ground for the launch, including two or three partners.
HSF joint CEO Sonya Leydecher was quoted by The Lawyer as saying the firm had been working with Malaysian clients for over 20 years and the new office would offer them “legal expertise on the ground in Kuala Lumpur, providing easier local access to our international network for their overseas business”.
Justin D’Agostino, the firm’s regional managing partner for Asia and Australia, was quoted as saying: “Malaysian corporates are getting bigger, stronger and sophisticated.
“They’re increasingly investing around the world and looking for international counsel to work with their local counsel. They are a big part of our Asia business. Having a strong team on the ground will deepen and strengthen these relationships.”
According to The Lawyer, HSF’s most recent client was Malaysian telecoms giant Axiata. It has also worked for major clients such as Petronas and Sime Darby.
HSF, the third largest practice in the region among international firms, even represented the Malaysian government in its railway lands dispute and arbitration against Singapore, the report said.