DLA Piper builds fund finance expertise in Asia with expert | Law.asia

Soumitro Mukerji

DLA Piper has added Asia-focused fund finance capability with the hiring of international finance practice partner Soumitro Mukerji in Singapore, and the banking and finance lawyer joins from Mayer Brown where he also practised as a partner.

Waranon Vanichprapa, Asia’s head of finance, projects and restructuring at DLA Piper based in Bangkok, told Asia Business Law Journal that the global law firm had a strong fund finance practice in the US and Europe, but didn’t have anyone focusing on this area in Asia.

“His strong leveraged and general banking experience will also deepen the bench-strength of our Asia team, which is already well-known for projects, projects financing, ESG financing, trade finance and restructuring.”

Given the growth trajectory of investment funds and related liquidity needs, Vanichprapa, who is also the country managing partner for Thailand, emphasised that the hire would complete his firm’s investment funds practice in the region and enable them to offer a competitive global fund financing platform to clients.

Having started his legal career as an associate at Indian law firm Amarchand Mangaldas in 2004, Mukerji has two decades of experience in the Asian and European financing markets, having also practised as a senior associate at Hogan Lovells’ London office and later a counsel at the firm’s Singapore office (Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee). Most recently, in 2022, he joined Mayer Brown in Singapore where he was a partner in the banking and finance practice.

Qualified in India and England and Wales, the Singapore-based banking and finance lawyer specialises in fund, sponsor-backed and limited recourse financings as well as structured and corporate lending.

“[Mukerji] further strengthens our India practice that the firm already has established from other parts of our global offices,” said Vanichprapa.

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