The Western Australian legal market is heating up as existing firms beef up their presence and others look to expand into the jurisdiction lured by the emergence of a revitalised commodities market.

Cochrane Lishman, a local commercial law firm, has appointed new partners and two senior associates to add energy & resources and commercial litigation to its current offering of M&A and corporate governance practices. Jon Carson will lead the energy & resources team when he joins the firm in January along with Ben Luscombe who will head up the commercial litigation team.

Corporate governance partner Ian Cochrane hopes that the expansion will allow the firm to capture the vast opportunities present in the WA market. “We are very optimistic about the outlook for the energy, resources and project sectors in WA,” he said. “Most of our takeover work has been in the oil and gas and mining sectors. The additional expertise and depth of experience in energy and resources that Jon and Ben bring will allow us to take full advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Cochrane said that legal work in WA had traditionally been dominated by top-tier firms that are based on the east coast and that there is the opportunity for smaller firms to establish a presence.

“The Australian market for top end commercial legal services is dominated by a relatively small number of very large firms with head offices in Sydney,” he said. “With the increasing importance of Western Australian oil and gas and mining projects, there is a great opportunity to focus on these industries and this state and to provide a genuine alternative for clients.”

The move by Cochrane Lishman follows on the heels of an expansion into WA by Sydney IP firm Hogdkinson McInnes. The firm has taken office space in Bentley’s Innovation Centre and recruited local IP practitioners to establish a presence. The team will be led by patent & trade marks attorney Stephen Krouzecky who was one of three senior partners at leading Perth IP firm Wrays before joining Hogdkinson McInnes.

Managing principal Ken McInnes said he sees a great deal of potential in the WA marketplace. “You just get the feel walking the streets here that there is a tremendous degree of confidence and enthusiasm here,” he said. “There are a lot of people determined to make sure this resource boom is harnessed for the good of the people of WA and not dissipated with a strong focus on R&D and that keeps us busy.”

McInnes said the legal market is definitely heating up and barring a double dip recession in the US he expects work to continue to pick up at a fast pace. Currently the firm is working on projects in the building materials sector, mining industry as well as on renewable energy technology.

Perth is McInnes’ key to unlocking future growth in Asia specifically Singapore, Hong Kong and China. “We see Perth as the gateway to Asia,” he said. “Having an office in Perth and Sydney very nicely puts us in the position of being one of only three specialist IP companies in the country with a 12 hour working day.”