HWL Ebsworth law firm news

DLA Piper has lost another cluster of partners, only a week after entering the Australian market through a merger with DLA Phillips Fox.

The number of women practicing in NSW has reached 46% of the profession, up 452% since 1988. According to the NSW Law Society there are now a little more than 11,000 female solicitors practicing law in the state.

HWL Ebsworth has added two new partners its commercial group, taking the total number of partner appointments in recent weeks to nine.

Melbourne-based firm Madgwicks has added a new partner to the ranks with former Herbert Geer partner Marina Papas joining the firm.

Just a week after recruiting five partners to the firm, HWL Ebsworth has added another two partners to its corporate group.

HWL Ebsworth has added significant weight to its property, litigation, tax and banking and finance teams with four partner appointments, only two days after announcing new partner Peter Dreher.

HWL Ebsworth has appointed Peter Dreher as a partner in the infrastructure, major projects and energy group. Dreher will be based in Melbourne.

In-house lawyers and the national corporate lawyers’ body have dismissed claims that the billable hour is the “choice of the client” by the president of the NSW Law Society and HWL Ebsworth partner, Stuart Westgarth.

The NSW Law Society has a new president and two new councillors for 2011. Stuart Westgarth has replaced Mary Macken as president, having been a councillor since 2007.

Middletons has added a new partner to its property team, this time in Perth. Michael Hain has joined the firm from Corrs Chambers Westgarth and has 18 years of legal practice experience.

After 20 years of representing North Sydney Council in legal matters, Mallesons Stephens Jaques has declined to tender for the council’s new legal panel.

Ex-Freehills recruit Penny Stevens has left Hall & Willcox after just one year.

An appointments story published by ALB on 4 August made reference to commercial litigator Damian Ward being poached from HWL Ebsworth by Mills Oakley.

National broadband networks, rising corporate IT expenditure and new software development opportunities are all adding up to an increased demand for legal advice.

The market for lawyers with employment and workplace relations expertise is hotting up with Middletons poaching three Sydney-based partners from HWL Ebsworth.

Mills Oakley has secured two new partners in the space of three weeks. Damian Ward joins the Sydney commercial litigation team from HWL Ebsworth and ex-Clutz special counsel Luke Connolly joins Mills Oakley's employment/ workplace relations team in Melbourne.

Sydney firm Swaab Attorneys has appointed Khim Nah and Rodney McCallum as senior associates in their property team

Middletons has promoted senior associates Stephen Meade and Jolyon Rogers to partnership.

As the Sydney market continues to take a battering, expansionist Melbourne firms find things more positive back home

By 2014 more junior legal positions could be dominated by women, in government and corporate areas.