Collas Crill

Collas Crill recruits new funds partner to Singapore office

Collas Crill has recruited funds specialist Leon Santos as a group partner to join its Singapore office.

Leon has significant offshore and onshore experience advising private fund managers, banks and corporations on fund establishment, investment structuring and operational issues. He also has a broad background in corporate and commercial matters, having advised on transactional M&A, listings and business contracts in fund services and other industries.

Leon's appointment adds depth to Collas Crill's experienced funds team, led by Paul Wilkes in Guernsey and Mark Rawlins in Jersey.

Leon has advised the Boards of Directors of offshore funds on fund operation and investor-related issues. A non-executive director of one fund said: "Leon has been, in a difficult political and economic climate, a valued advisor including the handling of a complicated restructuring; he is knowledgable, alive to the business climate issues and a pleasure to work with."

Having qualified as a lawyer in 1999 in Australia, Leon has since practised at Mourant in Jersey and London, SJ Berwin and Kirkland & Ellis in London. His most recent role has been in-house as a director and legal counsel at Prosperity Capital Management in London, a fund manager investing in Russia and the CIS. The broad remit of this role encompassed fund structuring, on- and offshore regulatory/compliance matters and group corporate advice.

Leon will spend several weeks with Collas Crill in both its Guernsey and Jersey offices before moving out to Singapore in September 2012, where Collas Crill is the first and only Channel Islands law firm to open an office.

Collas Crill managing partner Jason Romer said: "This appointment is the latest development in our plans to increase the capabilities and strength of our offering in Singapore. This is an exciting expansion of the firm's Singapore team and will ensure that we are able to continue to provide both Fiduciary and Corporate/Funds experience at a high level to our clients in Asia. Leon's significant on- and offshore funds experience will also boost Collas Crill's fund practice more widely."

Collas Crill recently announced that fiduciary specialist Marcus Hinkley would be moving from Guernsey to Singapore on a permanent basis in September to head the office.

Brandon Doffing, a commercial and funds associate who has worked in both Collas Crill's Jersey and Guernsey offices, has also relocated to Singapore. He is undertaking a secondment to Rajah and Tann LLP, the largest full service law firm in Singapore and Southeast Asia, from August prior to joining the team in Singapore full time in November.

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