Norton Rose: Canada and South Africa connection to benefit Australian investors

Norton Rose Group has again launched a targeted attack on the minerals and resource sector, announcing today that two firms, one in Canada and one in South Africa, had joined its fold. The addition of Canadian law firm Ogilvy Renault and leading South African law firm Deneys Reitz from June 1, 2011 will take Norton Rose to 38 offices worldwide with approximately 2,500 lawyers. “Australia, Canada and South Africa are countries that are very resource rich,” said Don Boyd, Group Deputy Chief Executive, Norton Rose Group. “Our firm is focused on this area of business, we have many clients in China and elsewhere who are heavily involved in the resource sector and we see great synergies between those clients’ needs and these locations.”

Although the firm already undertakes a large amount of work in Africa, the new South African offices of Deneys Reitz will provide the firm with a “jumping off” point for the rest of the continent, said Boyd. “There are more than 100 companies in Australia investing into African-based resource projects. This has the potential to service them in a bigger way,” he said.

The negotiations between the firms and Norton Rose, which merged with Australian firm Deacons at the start of the year, have been taking place for about 12 months and Boyd said that there was a heightened awareness amongst firms in those markets to international law firms moving into the market. “I’m confident that there will be flow-on effects in those markets from this announcement, just as I’m confident Allen & Overy won’t be the last international firm to enter the Australian market,” he said. When asked why Norton Rose once again chose to absorb local firms instead of establishing their own office Boyd said Norton Rose saw it as “much more important” to be part of the mainstream legal network in that jurisdiction, through the existing operations of those firms.

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