From left: Lee Ting Kiat, co-founder and managing partner at Lee & Tengku Azrina and Brian Law, co-founder and managing partner at LAW Partnership
Kuala Lumpur-based firm LAW Partnership has formed a three-year strategic alliance with Johor Bahru firm Lee & Tengku Azrina to expand its regional presence.
“Our goal is to enhance regional reach and to provide legal support across Malaysia’s major commercial hubs, connecting clients in Kuala Lumpur and the southern region, particularly Johor Bahru and the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone,” Brian Law, the co-founder and managing partner of LAW Partnership, told Asia Business Law Journal.
He noted that the collaboration positions both firms to engage more effectively with international partners.
“By combining our complementary strengths, we are better positioned to support clients in complex, cross-regional matters,” Lee Ting Kiat, the co-founder and managing partner of Lee & Tengku Azrina, told ABLJ.
He added that the partnership allows the firms to offer a more diversified range of services, particularly in corporate and commercial law, M&A, finance, real estate, IP, technology, dispute resolution and arbitration, employment and industrial relations, as well as white-collar crime and corporate investigations.
The alliance was also driven by client demand, as both firms have seen growing demand for corporate and commercial advisory, banking and finance, and dispute resolution work, particularly involving cross-border and regulatory elements, said Lee.
Clients are increasingly seeking guidance on M&A, joint ventures and corporate restructuring, reflecting active investment and business expansion in Malaysia and the wider region, he added.
The alliance also responds to a rise in regulatory compliance, ESG-related mandates, and technology-driven transactions, as companies adapt to evolving legal frameworks in digitalisation, sustainability and data protection, said Law.
Both firms have established an integration plan that will be implemented shortly, said Lee. He noted that, where appropriate, lawyers will be deployed to each other’s offices to support specific transactions.
LAW Partnership’s approach will remain flexible and agile, adjusting the level of integration based on client needs, project demands and team capacity, said Law.