Skip to main content

Queensland firm Cooper Grace Ward has reached an agreement to incorporate the firm Bain Gasteen, in a move that managing partner Chris Ward said will catapult the business to the top of the state’s commercial legal practices.

“With a team of more than 160 people, Cooper Grace Ward was already one of the largest players in the marketplace, but this move will see us positioned at the forefront of Queensland commercial law firms,” he said.

The acquisition will take effect from 1 December, when the firm will trade as Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers (incorporating Bain Gasteen). The last part of the name will be dropped from February 2010 and the firm will simply be called Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers.

Bain Gasteen has four partners and 12 lawyers in its sole Brisbane office. It has more than 20 years of experience servicing Queensland's corporate and business community, and the firm’s clients include some of Australia's largest financial and insurance institutions.

Recent mid-tier mergers

Firms: Middletons, Salter Power, Franklyn Legal

New name: Middletons

State: Western Australia

Date: December 2008

 

Firms: Cridlands, Morgan Buckley

New name: Cridlands MB

Territory: Northern Territory

Date: August 2008

 

Firms: Thomson Playford, Cutler Hughes & Harris

New name: Thomson Playford Cutlers

State: NSW

Date: August 2008

 

Firm: Thynne & Macartney and Biggs & Biggs

New name: Thynne & Macartney

State: Queenlsand

Date: August 2008

 

Firms: Herbert Geer , Nicol Robinson Halletts

New name: Herbert Geer

State: Queensland

Date: July 2008

 

Related Articles

Japanese firm TMI forms alliance with Australia’s JWS, eyes Sydney office

by Sarah Wong |

Japanese law firm TMI Associates has established a strategic alliance with Australia’s Johnson Winter Slattery (JWS) marking the first partnership of its kind between major law firms from these two nations.

Clifford Chance launches Shanghai FTZ joint operation with local firm

by Charlie Wu 吴卓言 |

Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance and Shanghai He Ping Law Firm have established a joint operation office in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ), following approval from the Shanghai Justice Bureau.

SUBMISSION OPEN: ALB Firms to Watch (Thailand) 2025

Submissions are now open for ALB’s Thailand Firms to Watch 2025. This list will highlight the most promising and innovative law firms in Indonesia that are making a mark in the legal industry. The list will be published in the December 2025 issue of ALB Asia.