Taylor Wessing is set to launch a private client practice in southeast Asia, the latest Western law firm to do so.

Partner Ryan Myint will be relocating to Singapore from London to lead the development of the international private client business in Singapore and southeast Asia.

The firm said in a statement that "this is possibly the most significant move by a London office's private client practice into this region".

Taylor Wessing, which specialises in trust structuring and estate planning, has already begun planning a series of events in the region for entrepreneurs and family businesses covering important issues such as the structuring and protection of private wealth, effective tax planning, succession and family governance, and dispute resolution.

Taylor Wessing currently has private client practices in the UK, Germany, France and Dubai, and 45 private client lawyers, half of whom are partners. The firm acts for more than 20 families/individuals with net wealth in excess of $1 billion, and hundreds of families and individuals who fall into the high net worth brackets.

The move follows on the heels of the tie-up between Taylor Wessing and Singapore firm RHT Law, in March.

Private client law firms have been flocking to set up shop in the region in recent years. Offshore law firm Mourant Ozannes launched a Hong Kong office in January. In July, Ogier became the first offshore law firm to launch an office in mainland China, when it opened in Shanghai, while in September, Irish law firm Dillon Eustace opened its doors in Hong Kong.