The Brisbane office of Gadens Lawyers is to merge with specialist firm MacGillivrays. The two Brisbane offices will officially combine in March into the Gadens office and will be known collectively as Gadens Lawyers.

MacGillivrays is one of the largest specialist retail mortgage documentation practices in Australia and also provides services in mortgage recoveries, dispute resolution, property and commercial law. It has an additional two offices in Sydney and Melbourne, the firm is currently in discussions with the corresponding Gadens offices in those locations about combining the approximately 25 staff. MacGillivrays managing partner Craig Green told ALB that it was important to first bed down the Brisbane merger before working on the other offices. Unlike Gadens, the firm’s other offices are financially integrated with the Brisbane office.

Gadens Brisbane chairman Paul Spiro said the merger is a natural complement to the rapidly growing firm’s existing strengths. “As one of the State’s largest law firms, we are now even better positioned to capitalise on the rebirth of Queensland business we are already seeing in 2013. This merger reflects our continued confidence in the Queensland market,” he said.

The move follows a string of mergers involving Queensland law firms. In November Queensland firm HopgoodGanim joined with Q Legal in Perth, while TressCox merged with Macrossans Lawyers in October. Middletons (now known as K&L Gates) entered the Brisbane market last March through a merger with local firm Flower & Hart.

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