Pinsent Masons to open Down Under

International law firm Pinsent Masons is to launch in Australia, it was announced today.

The firm, which has a large Scottish presence following its 2012 merger with McGrigors, will launch a five-partner, infrastructure sector-focused practice in Melbourne and Sydney later this year.

Led by David Rennick, former CEO of Maddocks, one of Australia’s top 20 law firms, who led a strategic review of the firm's options regarding market entry in Australia, the new operation will initially focus on Pinsent Masons' existing international client base in the sector, particularly those currently served by its offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing and Shanghai.

Pinsent Masons' Scotland chairman Kirk Murdoch believes the addition of an Australian practice will benefit Scottish firms exporting goods and services to Australasia. Scottish Government research recently found that Scottish firms export more than £435m in goods and services to Australia, and £2.8bn to the wider Asian market.

He commented: “Our extensive oil and gas expertise in Aberdeen and elsewhere will dovetail seamlessly with experienced Australian lawyers who know their home patch inside out. This will be a powerful asset for Scottish firms already doing business in Australia, and new entrants looking to carve out a slice of the market, in what the World Bank ranks as one of the 10 easiest places to do business.

“While extremely important, Scottish exports extend far beyond oil and gas and we will be ready to assist operators in the food and drink, textiles, engineering, telecommunications sectors and professional services, who have identified opportunities in Australia.”

Richard Foley, senior partner at Pinsent Masons, added: “We have done our homework on the market and taken the time to recruit a top quality team. We are confident that, through a keen focus on the infrastructure sector initially and a real commitment to innovative delivery of high quality legal services, we will have a compelling proposition for existing and potential clients."