An international law firm has opened in Singapore and Hong Kong to target ultra-wealthy individuals and family businesses.

Butler Snow, a US-headquartered law firm which expanded into the UK with a London office in 2013, has followed this move by opening a new practice in Singapore and a “virtual office” in Hong Kong. 

The Singapore office will focus on delivering US tax and estate planning advice to ultra-high net worth families and family-owned firms. From this base, it will focus on clients in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, mainland China, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines.

Butler Snow partner Kurt Rademacher is to lead the Singapore office. He represents UHNW families and family-controlled businesses throughout the world in the areas of US federal income, gift and estate tax issues. He and London-based partner Brad Westerfield headed Butler Snow’s expansion to Europe by opening the London office. In total, the law firm has more than 300 practising lawyers and 18 offices in the US and London.

In late 2014, Butler Snow appointed Christopher McLemore to its London office. McLemore is a member of the tax group.

The law firm was formed in 1954 in the US. Among its other recent developments has been the opening of an office in Albuquerque, New Mexico.