Squire Sanders is expanding in the Asia Pacific again, this time in Sydney on November 1. The firm, which opened in Perth on 1 October 2011, has recruited a senior Allens partner to spearhead the new practice, along with three senior lawyers from other firms.

“We have thought about this long and hard, we wanted to do it right and we are confident that the way we are going about it is the right approach for us, our clients and our practices,”  Squire Sanders chair and global CEO James Maiwurm, told ALB. “We are bullish on having the right position in Australia, and what we are trying to do here is build further on what we think is a very strong base in Perth with a complementary operation in Sydney.”

Squire Sanders’ initial Sydney-based team will include cross-border M&A specialist Campbell Davidson, most recently a partner at Allens; of counsel Richard Pascoe, a IP and technology practitioner from Truman Hoyle (and previously Gilbert & Tobin); of counsel Louise Boyce, who specialises in taxation and is joining from DLA Piper, and senior associate Anna Elliott, a labour and employment lawyer who is joining from Holding Redlich. “We have been able to put together a team that complement one and other, and what we are doing in Perth,” said Maiwurm. “And who have an opportunity to be entrepreneurs to grow something special in Australia.”  

The Squire Sanders Perth office was launched last year with a majority of partners from the un-integrated Minter Ellison Perth office.  The remaining partners of that practice joined the Minter Ellison east coast group or other firms in the market.

John Poulsen, managing partner of Squire Sanders Australia, told ALB that the firm is in continuing discussions with another seven senior practitioners in the Sydney market, in particular project finance lawyers. “We don’t want full service offices,” he said. “Our focus is on being nimble and that is why we are starting small – with this initial team.”

Poulsen said that at some point the firm would like to reach between 20 and 30 partners in Australia, but that number was dependant on finding the right people both culturally and professionally.

In the past year Squire Sanders has continued its aggressive expansion into the Asia Pacific with new offices in Singapore, Seoul and a doubling in the size of its Hong Kong office. “Our focus on being in the right hubs, in Australia and the Asia Pacific, is the right approach,” said Maiwurm.

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Fresh start for Minters and Squires as both set up new offices  21 June 2012