Minter Ellison has made two hires from the mining sector at special counsel level.

Andrew Orford joins Minters in Brisbane after five years with BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), where he was the contracts and commercial manager and most recently the senior manager responsible for the procurement function.

Planning and environmental law specialist Nada Raphael started her legal career with Minter Ellison some 10 years ago. Most recently, she was senior legal counsel with Fortescue Metals Group Ltd advising on statutory approval processes and compliance across Fortescue’s port, rail and mining projects. She will be joining the firm’s Perth office.