Pinsent Masons is continuing its sustained international expansion drive with a new Australian arm in Perth and the hire of four infrastructure and energy partners from Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF).
The UK law firm’s new Perth branch, to open in the autumn, will be its third Australian office after Sydney and Melbourne and its fifth international launch in the last 18 months.
Dentons’ tie-up with Australian firm Gadens, announced a year ago, has been delayed, with Dentons confirming Gadens’ Melbourne office is now unlikely to join.
White & Case is to open two offices in Australia with the hire of a ten-partner project finance team from Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), and there are plans to continue growing in the country.
After becoming the first Western firm to open an alternative legal services (ALT) hub in China, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) is to launch a new centre in Melbourne, as well as maintain a permanent presence in Perth, following the success of its ALT ‘pop-up’ which launched last October.
Allen & Overy (A&O) has added a three-strong US securities team to its Australian operations. The team joins the firm after leaving Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, which confirmed it was closing its Sydney office in February, reducing its presence to just one partner in the country.