UK boutique Withers has hired a new finance partner in Singapore to add to its corporate practice in the city-state.

Tahirah Ara joins the firm from Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) where she specialised in banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, regional and domestic joint ventures and commercial law. 

Margaret Robertson, Withers’ managing director, said: “The growth of the firm's corporate team in Singapore is a priority task to us and Tahirah's work with leading Asian families makes her especially well-suited to our practice.”

The hire is part of Withers’ effort to expand its corporate capabilities in Singapore after it formed a formal law alliance with local firm KhattarWong earlier in April. The alliance operates under the brand Withers KhattarWong and has over 70 lawyers advising on wealth planning, litigation, arbitration and commercial matters for its South East Asian clients.

Ara is Berwin Leighton Paisner’s second recent departure after South East Asia managing partner Alistair Duffield retired from the partnership. She will be joined at Withers by two associates from her former firm.