Latham & Watkins, CMS, Ashurst and DLA Piper are the latest international firms to boost Southeast Asia practices.

Mergers and acquisitions partner Mark Cooper joins Latham & Watkins’ Singapore office. He was most recently a partner at Hogan Lovells’ office in the city-state, where he specializes in private equity transactions in Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and across the rest of Southeast Asia. Last year he led a Singapore-based team working alongside Hogan Lovells’ Paris team to represent European transport asset lessor Ermewa Group on an acquisition of Singapore’s Raffles Lease Pte. Ltd.