Squire, Sanders & Dempsey could soon be in Sydney following its foray into the Perth legal market through a merger with local firm Minter Ellison Perth.

Current Minter Ellison Perth and designate Squire Sanders Australia managing partner John Poulsen told ALB the opening of a Perth office is part of a bigger push in the region for Squires, including Sydney. “We have had discussions about that (Sydney), it will be on the agenda, but our thought is to get this bedded down first, and then we will have a further discussion about it,” said Poulsen. The firm is also equally interested in opening in South Korea if the government there allows it.

The Perth partnership decided in May, after many months of negotiations with the East Coast Minter Ellison partnership, that it was no longer enough to join a regional firm – they needed to join a global firm. “We were looking at integrating with the East Coast firm 10 years after the other Perth firms had integrated and at a time when the world was changing,” said Poulsen. Indeed, during that period, five international firms have arrived in Perth including Norton Rose, Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper and Holman Fenwick Willan. “Our practice here in Perth is a very international practice, increasingly so in the last five years. We have seen a number of companies from the US, Holland, UK and Norway looking to come and establish offices here...if you have a broader international platform you have a greater chance of picking up those companies as they come in,” explained Poulsen.

Although Minter Ellison has an extensive presence in the Asia region Poulsen said the partnership felt it needed representation outside of South East Asia to attract the inbound work they are interested in.  “Squires has an office in Japan, we have a lot of Japanese clients, Minters does not. In Beijing the Squires office is manned by partners, Minters is not yet and the Shanghai office of Squires office has been there for a number of years. Both Minters and Squires have offices in Hong Kong,” said Poulsen. “But the huge advantage for us was the global network. In the past two weeks the interaction of opportunities and work flow has been phenomenal.”

The firm will look to find replacement partners for the four who will join Minter Ellison, mainly finance partners. Poulsen, who is also banking & finance partner, said he that in rebuilding the team he would look to focus on project finance acting for the borrowers, instead of acting for the lenders.

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