Listed UK law firm DWF has an exclusive association with a local law firm in Singapore and another in South Africa which reinforces its international capacity after pandemic retrenchment. Main suppliers
According to an announcement today, the company will be linking with the Singaporean firm Eldan Law and Thomson Wilks in South Africa.
This move takes more than one year after DWF shutdown its outpost in Singapore as part of a broader global restructuring effort led by CEO Sir Nigel Knowles, who took the lead when former company leader Andrew Leaitherland was expelled last May.
The cost reduction measures resulting from COVID-19's larger than anticipated impact on international operations also resulted in the closure of its Brussels office and a reduction in activities in Dubai and Cologne.
By virtue of its nature, Eldan and Thomson Wilks will work exclusively with DWF on the markets covered and vice versa on the basis of the mutually beneficial objective of obtaining referrals between DWF and the two companies in order to provide "seamless" service to their global customers.
The Company also expresses its hope that it will work with Eldan and Thomson Wilks to promote its integrated strategy for legal management by expanding the Mindcrest management unit and its Connected Services specialist business division.
Knowles said in a statement that the Association Agreements represent a "important" step for the company in the rehabilitation of its global network.
"Eldan Law and Thomson Wilks are renowned companies in Singapore and South Africa, and we strongly align our expertise and our industry focus," he said. "As with all our partnerships, this agreement offers all parties the chance to better serve existing and new customers while guaranteeing consistency, familiarity and quality across the board."
Eldan's core business offers, which were established as a boutique dispute resolution firm in 2010, include business litigation, international arbitration, corporate real estate, intellectual property and business transaction. It is one of the 25 largest Singaporean local companies with 35 employees, 17 of them partners.
In the meantime, Thomson Wilks specializes in litigation and commercial corporate law. It is based in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town and has nine managers, seven employees and 28 advisers.
Thomson Wilks has been working with DWF's office in France, formerly Heenan Paris, since 2016, before the association agreement with DWF.
Eldan and Thomson Wilks join DWF as fourth and fifth international association partnerships with the likes of the US company Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman, Panama-based outfit Fabrega Molino and Turkish firm OGB.
During a pandemic year, as part of DWF's dramatic strategy shift, the firm announced further office closures last month in Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle with the expected loss of almost 100 jobs in Australia, a major decline in legal capacity.