English firm Bird & Bird and Singapore firm ATMD have entered into a global association agreement which will see the firms collaborating on an exclusive basis.

The alliance will benefit both firms in Asia: Bird & Bird gains a presence in regional hub Singapore and ATMD boosts its China coverage through Bird & Bird's trio of offices in the PRC. Both firms had previously made their expansionary intentions clear, with Bird & Bird having opened its Shanghai office in October and ATMD having had its "AxcelAsia" alliance with Malaysian firm Tay & Partners since September 2005.

"This is a hugely exciting, great step forward for us in Asia," said Bird & Bird's China managing partner Matthew Laight. "This takes us from a position where we were really rather Europea-heavy as a firm, and puts us in a position with a much stronger footprint across Asia." The alliance is already proving fruitful for Bird & Bird, said Laight. The firm has most recently embarked on a pitch with a major multinational client, which was significantly boosted when the client was found to be familiar with ATMD. "There's a huge amount of synergy between the two firms, both in terms of areas of legal practice, but also in our potential client base," said Laight, adding that his firm had grown from a six-partner team in the PRC to now almost 20 with the association.

The alliance may be just as beneficial for ATMD, which can now ramp up its business in the European market through Bird & Bird's 17 offices there. "We see this global association as a great opportunity and an important step in our continued expansion and future growth," said ATMD managing partner Alban Kang. "Bird & Bird and ATMD are very similar in terms of culture and approach to business, and our clients will benefit from the increased international coverage of both firms."