UK firm Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has formed an association with Vietnamese boutique firm LVN & Associates.
LVN & Associates was previously the Vietnamese partner firm of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. It was founded five years ago by partner Linh Quynh Doan who was an energy specialist at Orrick in Hong Kong. She was then joined by Dzung Vu in 2011, a former Hogan Lovells associate.
Chris Lowe, WFW’s co-managing partner, said: “It is a small and neat offering to give us specifically capability in the energy and natural resources sector, and also gives us the maritime and aviation capability.”
Doan became counsel at WFW in Hong Kong four months ago advising on energy and infrastructure projects. She is experienced in acting for the Vietnamese government, state-owned enterprises and foreign investors in a broad range of industries including oil and gas, energy, banking and finance, telecommunications and manufacturing. She has also advised top private equity and sovereign equity funds in their investments in Vietnam.
Watson Farley & Williams is also looking for a similar move to launch in China, having entered Hong Kong in 2012 with an association with local firm Lau Leong & Co. At the moment it has three Asian offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.