After months of industry speculation, DLA Phillips Fox and DLA Piper have finally committed to a date for financial integration of the two firms. In a statement to media, the firms said that integration would take place on May 1, subject to approval via partnership vote at both firms in late February. DLA Phillips Fox chief executive Tony Holland said that the firms were expecting “overwhelming partner support” for the merger, which will see DLA Phillips Fox Australia rebranded as DLA Piper Australia.

However, DLA Phillips Fox in New Zealand will not be part of the integration, although the firm will retain its alliance with the DLA Piper group. The office was de-integrated from the DLA Phillips Fox group in July 2010, sharing the same fate as the firm’s Adelaide office, which subsequently rebranded itself as Fox Tucker.

DLA Piper's Asia managing director Alastair Da Costa said that integration was an important part of the firm’s global strategy: “We are doing this because we think there is a client need to have a fully integrated global law firm with a seamless offering. You can see the development that has happened with other firms in the market and the introduction of Allen & Overy and Norton Rose in Australia. But we are different to them; we have been working with Phillips Fox for a number of years,” he said. The two firms have been in association since 2006.

On completion of the merger, the firm will look to recruit in key legal practices and is already looking at opportunities for staff from the Australian firm in other DLA Piper offices. Practice areas likely to expand include the insurance, corporate and finance practices.

Once integrated the Asia Pacific practice of DLA Piper will include more than 700 lawyers across Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Thailand; with an expected revenue of more than A$340m.

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