The new office will operate under the moniker Duane Morris & Selvam LLP and will be focused primarily on intellectual property work. The US firm’s joint venture with Singapore’s Selvam has been going strong for the last five years and has offered Duane Morris a springboard from which to expand its operations in Asia, with the joint venture having already launched in Myanmar in 2013 and in Shanghai the following year.

Deepening client relationships

Duane Morris & Selvam has been eyeing up a Taiwan opening for some time, given the firm’s longstanding relationship with client Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Chairman and CEO John Soroko commented: ‘As a practical matter, all the stars seemed to be aligning. It enables us to get on the ground and more involved with a long-term client.’ New York-based counsel Richard Thurston was general counsel at Taiwan Semiconductor before joining Duane Morris, and has overseen the firm’s efforts to get its Taiwan office off the ground. Another former Taiwan Semiconductor in-house lawyer, Cheng Hsiang ‘Eric’ Chu, has been hired as a legal consultant for the new office. He will be tasked with staffing the Taiwan outpost alongside special counsel Christopher Neumeyer.

Sources: The Lawyer; Law.com