Collas Crill, the Jersey-based law firm that caters to high net worth individuals and international businesses, has opened an office in Singapore. 

The new branch is led by Sean Cheong, who has relocated from the Guernsey office. He is joined by Rachel Leong as office manager. Collas Crill is the first Channel Islands-based law firm to open in the Asian financial hub, the firm said in a statement. 

Aside from servicing institutional and private clients, the firm will also offer Guernsey fiduciary services through Guernsey Trust Company, which is majority-owned by Collas Crill partners. The company was formed in April 2011 following the merger of Collas Day in Guernsey and Crill Canavan in Jersey. 

Singapore, and Asia in general, provides an excellent hub from which the company may expand its operations. Latest market figures from Merrill Lynch and Capgemini show that there are around 3.3 million people in Asia with at least $1 million in investible assets in 2010, up by 9.7 per cent from 2009. In Singapore, the number of such HNW individuals rose 21.3 per cent in 2010 to 99,000.