London Disputes Boutique Candey Opens Singapore Office to Target Asia-Pacific Contentious Work, Led by Former Stephenson Harwood Partner
Candey, a London-based disputes boutique, has opened its first office in Asia, launching in Singapore to pursue contentious work across the Asia-Pacific region. The new office will be headed by Christopher Bailey, a former partner at Stephenson Harwood. The move positions Candey to capture arbitration and commercial litigation mandates generated by the region's increasing deal activity and trade disputes, and reflects a broader pattern of London-origin disputes specialists expanding eastward to serve international clients who prefer English law-governed contracts and London-standard arbitration procedures. Singapore is the dominant arbitration hub for Asia-Pacific disputes, home to the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and sitting at the intersection of trade flows between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia — flows that have been substantially disrupted by the Iran war's impact on Strait of Hormuz shipping. The launch follows the trend of Canadian law firms accelerating hiring in energy and infrastructure as soaring oil prices — driven by geopolitical constriction of the Strait of Hormuz — fuel demand for top legal talent in Toronto and Calgary across real estate, environmental law, and tax practices.
Why this matters
Candey's Singapore launch reflects a structural shift in where London disputes boutiques see growth: Asia-Pacific commercial litigation and SIAC arbitration is expanding as regional deal volumes rise and trade route disruptions generate new categories of dispute. For English law firms, Singapore is the critical gateway jurisdiction — it applies contract law closely aligned with English common law, enforces London arbitral awards, and serves as regional headquarters for many multinationals. The move by a London boutique rather than a full-service firm signals that even specialist outfits perceive enough standalone commercial arbitration work to justify a permanent Asia presence. From a recruitment perspective, a partner of Bailey's seniority making the move demonstrates that the London-to-Singapore trajectory remains attractive for senior disputes practitioners.
On the Ground
A trainee working on an international arbitration matter with a Singapore seat would help coordinate local counsel instruction letters, prepare choice-of-law summaries setting out the governing law analysis, assist with sanctions screening memos for parties involved in the dispute, and help organise apostille and legalisation of documents required by the Singapore proceedings.
Interview prep
Soundbite
London disputes boutiques opening in Singapore are chasing SIAC arbitration growth — English law's dominance in Asia-Pacific commercial contracts is the structural pull factor.
Question you might get
“Why would a party to a commercial dispute in Asia-Pacific choose Singapore as an arbitration seat rather than London, and what role does the choice of governing law play in that decision?”
Full answer
Candey has launched in Singapore under a former Stephenson Harwood partner, making it the latest London disputes specialist to establish a permanent Asia-Pacific presence. The commercial logic is clear: Singapore sits at the centre of the region's arbitration market, English law governs the majority of significant cross-border commercial contracts in Asia-Pacific, and SIAC caseloads have grown substantially as regional deal activity and trade disputes multiply. For law students, this illustrates that international arbitration is a growth area for London-trained lawyers — particularly as geopolitical disruptions to trade routes generate new categories of commercial dispute. I think boutique expansion of this kind will accelerate, as the economics of specialist arbitration work make permanent regional offices viable even for smaller outfits.
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