Norton Rose Fulbright

A flurry of high level moves in the Perth legal market leaves the profession asking what the future holds.

AMONG the 3,400 delegates at the recent Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Asso-ciation annual conference in Perth was lawyer Paul Griffin.

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey has become the latest international law firm to move into the Western Australian market, announcing plans for a merger with the local office of Minter Ellison.

A MOVE by 15 partners from what was the local office of Minter Ellison to start the Australia arm of US-based Squire Sanders & Dempsey marks another major shift in Western Australia’s commercial law sector.

THERE is no doubt that, when it comes to global players seeking a position in Perth, the lawyers have grabbed the headlines.Some of the people to have leapt from major national firms are among the state’s best-known corporate lawyers, especially in the resources sector.

UK-BASED law firm Holman Fenwick Willan has officially opened its Perth office, three months after local recruit Julian Sher joined the firm.The Perth office has three partners and seven staff, and is part of an Australian network that includes branches in Melbourne and Sydney.

Nine international and interstate law firms have entered the WA market in the past two-and-a-half years and more are likely to follow. The industry is still debating what it really means.

AUSTRALIAN law firm Allens Arthur Robinson has added to the extraordinary variety in the Australian legal sector by finding a new way to come together with its international partner.

The Perth legal market is evolving with new alliances and brands but the pace of change has slowed from the breakneck speed of recent years.

The top of Perth’s legal world has shrunk slightly as the 10 biggest law firms recorded a combined net loss at partnership level following a three-year binge of global mergers focused heavily on the Perth market.

The directors of US-focused Aurora Oil & Gas have recommended that shareholders accept a $1.84 billion takeover offer from Canadian oil company Baytex Energy.

Two-and-a-half years after entering the Australian market, Squire Sanders is set to expand its international reach through a merger with fellow US law firm Patton Boggs.

Former Norton Rose Fullbright partner Simon Bellas has joined global law firm Jones Day as a partner at the firm’s recently opened Perth office.

Adrienne Parker has joined the Perth office of law firm Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner specialising in major construction, engineering and resources project work.Ms Parker was previously a partner at Clayton Utz. 

Law firms Clifford Chance and Lavan Legal have announced new appointments, with Paul Vinci taking the helm as managing partner and Jon Carson as senior partner of Clifford’s Perth office.

Former Ashurst partner Paul Riethmuller has started at global law firm Jones Day as a partner in its projects and infrastructure practice in Perth.

Most of the big law firms in Perth have shrunk in size over the past year, with Ashurst experiencing the biggest drop in staff, while only a couple of smaller firms have achieved significant growth, research by Business News has found.

Leanne Nickels has been appointed as a partner in DLA Piper Perth. Ms Nickels is a highly respected employment lawyer. Prior to joining DLA Piper she was a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright.

A series of major trade sales and the prospect of one of WA’s biggest-ever IPOs were highlights in what remained subdued capital markets in the September quarter. Also in our special report, how a surge in backdoor listings is attracting Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.

Crescent Capital Investments has sweetened its takeover offer for infrastructure services group Cardno, boosting the deal to $3.45 per share, one week after competitor Coffey announced a friendly takeover deal with global player Tetra Tech.

Mining services contractor Sedgman has told its shareholders to take no action towards CIMIC Group’s $153.1 million offer for all the shares it doesn’t already own in the business.

Small companies hoping to list on the stock market are facing tougher conditions, with more than a dozen announced deals in Western Australia hitting problems this year and the ASX foreshadowing tighter regulation of new deals.

SPECIAL REPORT: The shake-out in Perth’s legal services market is producing some surprising winners and losers, with one of the best performers being a firm many had expected to wither.

Our weekly appointments wrap includes David Edwards, Laura Benger, Simon Taylor, Nathan Charles, Mark Davies, Teck Lim, Dirk Adams, Josh Robertson, Ben Bradstreet, Chris Wyhoon, Nicole Batten and Debbie Gillam.

Our weekly appointments wrap includes Rod Whithear, Vanessa Eliott, Stephen Walsh, Tanya Chambers, Catherine Morgan and Paul Devlin.