K&L Gates has received a double boost to its Singapore office, K&L Gates Straits Law, with the addition of corporate partners David Kuo and Meraj Noor from DLA Piper, further bolstering the US firm’s presence in the Lion City.
Ryan Dwyer, Asia regional managing partner of K&L Gates, said: “Their client connectivity, commitment to excellence, and outstanding credentials will add depth and breadth to our regional corporate and transactional capabilities.”
California-admitted Kuo, previously a partner at DLA Piper, is a Singapore-registered foreign lawyer with 20 years of legal experience spanning the US, Hong Kong and Singapore. Before starting at DLA Piper in 2020, Kuo had worked as a partner at Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman) and Milbank.
The Singapore-based corporate lawyer specialises in advising on cross-border M&A and business combinations, as well as private equity and venture capital transactions, particularly in the real estate, technology and energy sectors.
Meraj Noor, on the other hand, was the deputy chair of the global India group at DLA Piper, where he practised for more than 16 years. As an India-qualified lawyer and a registered foreign lawyer in Singapore, Noor has practised in Dubai, India and the Lion City, specialising in cross-border corporate deals, particularly those related to India, with a specific focus on capital market transactions.
M Rajaram, the chair of K&L Gates Straits Law, said: “As the Indian economy booms, Singapore has become the preferred springboard for outbound Indian investments. David and Meraj bring both wide experience and deep understanding of the market, and the needs of Indian clients and clients throughout the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.”
In 2021, Kuo and Noor led the DLA Piper team in advising Bangalore-based service provider Hinduja Global Solutions on the USD1.2 billion sale of its healthcare solutions business to Baring Private Equity Asia.
