John Simons Atchison, the first lawyer to be admitted in Singapore with a proper qualification, arrived in Singapore in 1859. According to earlier historians, Atchison "took no exercise and was always agitating against the government". Atchison handled a number of big cases. Thanks to his successful handling of a case for a naval captain, against the East India Company, we began our "Admiralty connection", a practice area that remains to the present day. The apparent heir to Atchison's practice was Isaac Swinburne Bond, who became the first lawyer to join the ranks of Singapore's Legislative Council in 1877. He practised alone until he took in his Partner, Alfred Henry Drew, who was admitted as a Solicitor in England in 1881.

After Bond's retirement in 1886, Drew practised alone for a while until he was joined by Walter John Napier in 1889, at which point in time "Drew & Napier" came into being. Unfortunately, little is said in the historical records of Drew. Much more is known of Napier, who achieved great distinction and prominence in his career. Napier's various appointments included being secretary of the Straits Settlements Association from 1890 and the first editor of the Straits Settlements Law Reports. In 1896, he was appointed acting Unofficial Member of Singapore's Legislative Council, and was re-appointed as a full Unofficial until 1907. He was Attorney-General from 1907 to 1909, and received a knighthood for his services when he retired.