Global law firm to Perth

International law firm Hogan Lovells is seeking to leverage off its presence in Asia by establishing operations in Australia, which will be run out of Perth and Sydney.

Hogan Lovells said it would launch its Australian practices in July, poaching Allens Linklaters partners Nicky Lester and Tim Lester to head the offices.

Ms Lester will run the banking and finance practice for Hogan Lovells, while Mr Lester will centre his efforts on corporate finance, with a particular focus on the energy, natural resources and infrastructure sectors.

Hogan Lovells chief executive Steve Immelt said the Australian expansion would complement the firm’s global and regional strengths.

Mr Immelt said the Australian operations would lead to significant opportunities for firms looking to extend operations into emerging markets in Africa, South-East Asia, Japan and China.

He said there were clear plans in place to build a strong Australian base that would focus on practice areas most relevant to its client base.

“There is a significant alignment between our client interests in Australia, the US, Africa and South-East Asia,” Mr Immelt said.

“This move enables us to draw on the full resources of our global offering, especially in highly regulated industries such as energy and mining.

“We have long recognised the strategic importance of having an Australian capability in order to successfully develop our Asia practice but the opportunity had to be the right one.”