DLA Piper's Aussie merger firm suffers nine-partner defection
Nine DLA Phillips Fox partners are leaving to join mid-tier Australian firm Thomsons Lawyers ahead of the firm’s imminent merger with DLA Piper.
All nine partners are from DLA Phillips Fox’s Brisbane office. DLA Phillips Fox will merge with DLA Piper on 1 May creating an Asia Pacific practice with estimated revenue of £195m (28 February 2011).
The partners join Thomsons Lawyers as the firm looks to launch an office in Brisbane.
In a statement, DLA Piper said: “DLA Piper can confirm that nine Brisbane partners at DLA Phillips Fox have disclosed that they will not join the integrated firm, and will leave before the integration completes on 1 May 2011.
“The overwhelming majority of partners at DLA Piper and DLA Phillips Fox are fully supportive of the integration between DLA Piper and DLA Phillips Fox but these nine partners believe that joining a global law firm is not the right decision for them as individuals.”
Including the nine new partners, Thomsons Lawyers now has 56 partners and more than 400 lawyers across offices in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Norwest Business Park.
Readers' comments (2)
Sir NigKnowl | 14-Mar-2011 5:16 pm
I said who are DLA i said who are DLA!
Norton Rose all the way!
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Anonymous | 15-Mar-2011 4:56 am
Nine out of 23 Brisbane partners is a big loss. And they're all corporate/real estate partners: the areas DLA Phillips Fox has been focusing on in order to attract financial integration with DLA Piper. All that is left in Brisbane is a bunch of insurance partners: the firm's traditional base, from which management has been attempting to steer the firm away! There's a step backwards for you!
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