Clyde & Co has done what only the well-resourced and audacious tend to do in Southeast Asia, it’s scooped up a three-partner team and fifteen lawyers and staff from DLA Piper to boost its Bangkok presence. The firm called it “one of the most significant team hires” in Thailand’s legal market in recent years. Translation: a quiet victory lap.
The new Clyde recruits, partners Robert Tang, Samata Masagee, and Akyn Suttawatanadech, all hail from DLA Piper. Tang spent an 18-year stint there, which is practically a career in law firm years. Samata was partner for six years, having previously worked at Weerawong, Chinnavat & Partners, while Akyn handled construction disputes and regulatory investigations with forensic precision.
The Bangkok hire brings serious range including insurance and reinsurance, arbitration, M&A, disputes, regulatory nuance, and infrastructure — basically, everything that moves money or machinery in the region.
Tang, who has built his practice entirely in Bangkok, will continue steering regional insurers and corporates through complex litigation and arbitration, while Samata’s corporate credentials span deal-making and compliance in the ever-regulated energy and financial services sectors.
Akyn joins with an eye on construction and infrastructure disputes, a natural fit for a firm that has built a reputation for having more moving parts than a Thai expressway project.
The team will slot neatly beside Clyde & Co’s existing marine and shipping practice, which already keeps the Bangkok office afloat. The hires bump Clyde’s partner count to four and its local headcount to about twenty, which is good progress for for an office that only opened in 2022.
“Thailand sits at the centre of mainland Southeast Asia and continues to play a critical role in regional investment flows and supply chains,” said Thomas Choo, Singapore managing partner at Clyde & Co. (pictrued above).
Simon McConnell, APAC board chair, was equally buoyant: “This is a highly strategic addition… strengthening our ability to support clients across Southeast Asia.”
