The Perth market continues to be a source of activity for the legal industry and there are no signs of the market slowing down.

Last week two local firms, Jackson McDonald and McKenzie Moncrieff, announced a merger on the back of a desire to grow with clients in the booming resources sector. The combined firm will  rival some of the national firm offices in the market in size and capabilities with 32 partners and countless mining sector clients.

Meanwhile Gilbert + Tobin has also officially landed in Perth (July 1) following its merger with local firm Blakiston & Crabb. Former managing partner of Blakiston & Crabb and new G+T Perth office head Michael Blakiston says the decision to merge with G+T was based on a desire to grow the firm in line with client’s growth and expansion. “Our clients have grown and not being able to properly engage with them made us realise size was an issue, which is why we merged,” Blakiston told ALB.

The firm’s clients are expanding overseas, particularly into Africa and along with a lack of competition and regulation expertise Blakiston says it was essential to grow or be left behind. “The transactions are getting large and more complex, and although we had resources & energy expertise, we needed more in the banking & finance area, particularly when it concerned offshore deals,” he said.

Freehills has also grown its practice, albeit internally with the appointment of three new partners in the Perth, one of whom will be moving to the Sydney office.  “A lot of activity is continuing in the midcap mining space,” said Perth practice head Jason Ricketts. Hanging off this work is a substantial amount of construction and infrastructure work. Two major new hospitals, new roads and other infrastructure are just some of the projects keeping firms busy, in addition to the substantial amount of M&A work in the midcap mining space. 

While it could be easy to blame the recent boom in the Perth legal market as a short term resources-fuelled binge, both Blakiston and Ricketts claim there is a  fast ticking clock.  “There’s nothing in what’s happened in the last 18 months to two years to suggest this is a boom in the old cyclical sense,” said Ricketts. And while Blakiston admits the resources boom is “very significant” he says there is plenty of capability in the market. As Ricketts puts it: “When you’re a Woodside investing A$30bn the projects take a long time to implement. We’re not worried that in 3 months or six months, it’s going to stop.”

2011 Perth arrivals:
Clifford Chance (merger)
Gilbert + Tobin (merger)
Holman Fenwick Willan (Standalone)
Maurice Blackburn (standalone)
Moray & Agnew (standalone)

2010 Perth arrivals:
Allen & Overy (standalone)
Turner Freeman Lawyers (standalone)