French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel (GLN) is expanding in Southeast Asia and has invested in its Vietnam practice by announcing a new managing partner and two new hires.
The firm has transferred Budapest-based partner Jacques Bernard de Servigny (pictured) to oversee the Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi practices, which are currently under the helm of lawyers Franz Hepp de Sevelinges and François d'Hautefeuille. After managing the opening of four of the firm's European offices in the last two decades de Servigny was appointed as Vietnam managing partner last year and has now been transferred to develop the firm’s network in the region.
GLN has also made two new appointments, with trade specialist Tran Duc Son joining from Mayer Brown JSM and corporate lawyer Samantha Campbell from Sullivan & Cromwell. Both have been recruited to enhance the firm’s international finance capabilities. “Vietnam’s banking and finance industry is evolving rapidly and we anticipate the further development of relatively new market sectors such as derivatives and consumer credit finance,” said de Servigny.
The firm now has 30 lawyers in Vietnam across the Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi offices having launched in 1996 as the first French firm in the country. It is now looking to expand by adding more senior associates, specifically specialising in real estate and arbitration. “I’ve overseen GLN’s expansion in Central and Eastern Europe for more than a decade so I am confident that we have plenty of room to grow in Vietnam too,” said de Servigny. “Vietnam remains an important part of our network … the practice is driven by an increasing pool of international and local clients from foreign investors, prominent financials institutions to local government departments and agencies.”
The Vietnam offices will also work closely with GLN’s China and Hong Kong offices toward the broader development plan.
“We're seeing a positive demand for our legal services in the region, which GLN views as a strategic area for the growth of the firm,” said de Servigny. “Despite the financial crisis, the level of corporate and financing activity in Vietnam and Southeast Asia remains relatively stable and appears to be growing.”
Related stories: