HFW targets Oz as start of launch trail

According to sources close to the firm, HFW is planning two office openings over the coming year, with a European launch likely to follow after Perth.

HFW confirmed that it was looking to bolster its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Senior partner Richard Crump said: “The marketplace for international ­commerce is constantly evolving and we must adapt our strategy accordingly.

“A central part of that strategy focuses on our ­global footprint in key ­jurisdictions.”

The firm opened in ­Melbourne in 2006 and in Sydney last December. According to one source HFW will use profits ­generated by these offices to fund the Perth base, which will focus on offshore energy work.

Crump said HFW was considering bases in South America and Africa, but that these are long-term aims.

“All UK lawyers involved in international commerce are looking at South ­America,” he added.

Earlier this year the firm launched a two-pronged assault on the Middle East through the establishment of new associations in both Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia (The Lawyer, 18 January).