Chang, Pistilli & Simmons law firm news

Herbert Smith could be the next UK firm to open its doors in Australia, according to UK media.

The dynamic Perth market has proved too hard to ignore for insurance specialist Moray & Agnew, which has opened a new office there to be headed by Phil Keays.

DLA Piper will officially enter the Australian market on 1 May, after a successful partner vote at both DLA Piper and DLA Phillips Fox.

Is this the start of a brave new era in the Australian legal services market, or just a rebranding of two existing players?

Competition in the Australian legal market is set to intensify with the announcement that UK’s largest firm Clifford Chance is moving in.

2011 promises to be another year of intrigue and transformation for many of Australia and New Zealand’s best-known firms. ALB starts the year by nominating ten firms for whom 2011 will be a particularly critical year. Whether they are law firms primed for growth or ones that are looking to recover from a setback, here are the firms that have a point to prove to the market.

The dispute between Atanaskovic Hartnell and the founding partners of Chang, Pistilli & Simmons (CP&S) has ended once and for all with the appeal period from the March decision in the Downing Centre Local Court expiring on Friday.

Sydney may have lost some of its lustre during the GFC, but firms are confident that the Harbour City is set the regain its sparkle. ALB investigates

Treasurer Wayne Swan may have couched last night's budget in a "no frills - let's play it safe" style, but the reality has been anything but that for firms and their resource and mining clients, says Chang, Pistilli & Simmons partner Jason Mendens.

The Local Court decision in the dispute between Atanaskovic Hartnell and the founding partners of Chang, Pistilli & Simmons has been handed down but the battle may not be over yet.

The feud between partners Mark Pistilli, Diana Chang and Danny Simmons and law firm Atanaskovic Hartnell has ended with a fizzle.

ALB investigates Allen & Overy’s dramatic entry into the Australian market

ALB Guide: Energy & Resources 2009 is the latest in an exciting series of detailed insights into specific practice areas and the leading firms and lawyers operating within them

Being invited to join the partnership might be an enduring ambition for many young lawyers, but promotion usually comes at a price. Firms have many ways of ensuring that new partners pay their due – and some are more onerous than others

The mechanisms through which lawyers become partners in a firm are many and varied. ALB explores some of the more common - and controversial - methods at play

Several law firms were involved in the negotiation and preparation of the arrangements to govern the sharing of port capacity in New South Wales’ Port of Newcastle, providing a long-term solution to a long-term problem

Babcock & Brown's group legal counsel has been appointed to Sydney firm Marque Lawyers

Mallesons Stephen Jaques is the top M&A legal adviser by deal value and Allens Arthur Robinson is master of completed M&A deals, according to recently released Thomson Reuters figures.

Chang, Pistilli & Simmons, Freehills, Mallesons and Allens have been very busy for the past eight months, acting on the APA Group's new infrastructure vehicle establishment (A$700m).

In the brave new world of Babcock & Brown, two firms which are staying close to the action are Chang, Pistilli & Simmons and Blake Dawson, which have recently advised the company on the sale of the management rights in the Babcock & Brown Communities Group.