Allen & Overy Plants Office in Australia, Snags 14 Partners From Local Firm
Magic Circle firm Allen & Overy has announced it will open offices in Sydney and Perth next month, with 17 new partners who will focus on mining and natural resources merger work.
“Our decision to launch in Australia underlines the increasing importance of Australia in the global and Asia-Pacific economies,” senior partner David Morley said in a statement. “We see significant opportunities for high-end, cross-border M&A and finance work in the private and public sectors, particularly in the energy, mining and natural resources sectors.”
Of the 17 new partners, 14 are coming from the Australian law firm Clayton Utz, which confirmed the resignations to The Australian.
The move to Australia is part of a trend for large law firms looking to establish a stronger presence in the Asia-Pacific legal market.
On Jan. 1, the merger of Norton Rose and Deacons Australia took effect. And Washington-based Jones Day has plans to double the size of its Sydney office from 25 to 50 lawyers, Bloomberg reports.
