Legal Review SPECIAL REPORT Photo: iStock Legal Review FEATURE Taking stock as sector splutters The ranking of Perth’s major law firms has changed substantially over the past two years. GROWING: Kylie Groves says her firm is still building a full-service offering in Perth. Photo: Gabriel Oliveira the local market with 17 part- Most notable has been inde- ners and 91 legal professionals, pendent Perth firm Jackson The number of lawyers according to the BNiQ database. McDonald. After several years It was notable for being one of growth it has dropped to in the Perth market seems of the few big Australian firms third place on the BNiQ data- to not merge or partner with a base, with 26 partners and 88 global law firm during the past legal professionals. pretty consistent, they just decade. King & Wood Mallesons, MinterEllison is not far Lavan, and Corrs Chambers re-arrange themselves from behind Clayton Utz in the WA Westgarth have also cut their Mark Beyer market with 17 partners and 85 numbers over the past two time to time - Kylie Groves [email protected] @AMarkBeyer legal professionals. years, but to a much lesser Those numbers highlight extent. As well as being the largest, Patchy outlook a remarkable revival by it’s also the firm that others look ERTH’S commercial law- MinterEllison, which was left Breakdown up to as the market leader, with These changes come against yers generally agree the with just four partners in Perth To put these numbers into a an unmatched depth of exper- a backdrop of patchy activity in market is continuing at in 2012 after most of its WA longer-term context, the BNiQ tise and reach. the local market. P Herbert Smith Freehills a low ebb in Western Australia, cohort started trading as Squire data shows that many of Perth’s Offsetting the decline at big but the lack of activity has not Patton Boggs. large law firms have shrunk firms has been growth by a managing partner Perth, Tony halted further changes in the While MinterEllison is now over the past decade. raft of new players and mid-tier Joyner, said there was some sector’s make-up. firmly back as a major player in The decline has been most firms. pickup in 2018 after five or six Data collected by Business the WA market, US-based Squire pronounced for Ashurst and HHG Legal Group, which soft years. News shows several firms have Patton has not fared so well. It market leader Herbert Smith evolved from Albany firm “It’s been reasonably strong defied the lull in activity to started in WA with 15 partners Freehills. Hudson Henning and Goodman, since,” Mr Joyner told Business achieve substantial growth over and now has nine. London-based Ashurst (for- has more than doubled in size News. the past two years (see table, Other firms enjoying growth merly Blake Dawson Waldron) over the past decade. “It’s not back at 2012 levels, but page 26). include HWL Ebsworth Lawyers used to be the second largest Celebrating its 100th anniver- the firms have resized.” The growing firms include and Hall & Wilcox, both of which firm in Perth with about 120 sary this year, HHG now has 48 Mr Joyner said the future tier one Australian players Clay- are big east coast players that legal professionals; it is now legal professionals in its ranks. looked okay but still choppy, ton Utz and MinterEllison, along moved into WA in recent years. ranked seventh with 67 legal Another independent Perth adding it was hard to see what with international firm Norton In contrast to these expand- professionals. firm to achieve long-term would drive substantial growth. Rose Fulbright. ing firms, several others have HSF continues to be the largest growth has been Steinepreis Lavan managing partner Clayton Utz has grown to be trimmed their numbers over the firm in Perth, with 22 partners Paganin, based on its niche ser- Dean Hely described the past the second largest law firm in past two years. and 131 legal professionals. vicing small listed companies. three years as a period of LEGAL REVIEW FEATURE SEARCHENGINE ...your key to WA business WA’s CHANGING LEGAL LANDSCAPE Change in Legal legal prof. Rank Law Firm Partners Professionals sinced 2017 1 Herbert Smith Freehills 22 131 1 2 Clayton Utz 17 91 15 3 Jackson McDonald 26 88 -34 5 MinterEllison 17 85 17 4 King & Wood Mallesons 14 81 -7 6 Lavan 26 71 -7 7 Ashurst 15 67 2 8 Allens 10 67 5 9 Corrs Chambers Westgarth 13 66 -7 10 Norton Rose Fulbright 16 64 13 12 HWL Ebsworth Lawyers 14 62 18 11 DLA Piper 13 59 2 13 HHG Legal Group 2 48 1 14 Squire Patton Boggs 9 44 2 15 LOD n/a 43 2 23 Sparke Helmore Lawyers 5 40 -1 16 Mills Oakley 9 40 3 17 Dentons 5 37 -2 18 Allen & Overy 6 39 -2 19 Gilbert + Tobin 10 37 6 20 Steinepreis Paganin 9 35 2 21 Bennett + Co 9 34 5 22 Slater & Gordon n/a 33 0 24 Clifford Chance 4 33 -1 25 Hall & Wilcox 3 32 13 constrained legal spend with mining sector,” he said, adding increased competition. that banking and commercial INFLUENCE: Tony Joyner says the WA market is reasonably strong but it’s hard to see “In the earlier part of 2018 property were other sectors what will drive substantial growth. Photo: Gabriel Oliveira there was real optimism and picking up. “It’s clearly coming back, it’s the corporate market was very this work because of their exper- busy, but this tailed off in July,” just a matter of time,” Mr Shel- tise or established relationships. he said. ton-Agar said. It’s [activity] been In a similar vein, Mr Joyner “We have found that, since King & Wood Mallesons said HSF’s Perth partners were October 2018, the workflow in partner said John Naughton doing a lot of work for interstate reasonably strong since (2018); all areas has increased and that commercial litigation follow- and overseas clients. there is renewed confidence ing the end of the resources “It’s significant and growing,” it’s not back at 2012 levels, but that the WA market and econ- construction boom was still he said. omy is on the improve. providing plenty of work for his “We have a lot of expertise the firms have resized - Tony Joyner “Whilst the federal election firm. that we export, in mining, will have a bearing on this, I “As sure as night follows day, energy, infrastructure. been fortunate that we have For some Perth law firms, don’t think it will disrupt the the last phase is litigation,” he “It’s how we maintained our significant practices around growth has been driven by their continual improvement in the said. team here.” government and inbound invest- entry into new practice areas WA economy.” Mr Naughton said much of MinterEllison’s managing ment which have kept the firm and lateral hires. Jackson McDonald chief exec- this work was run offshore in partner, WA, Matthew Knox has busy even when local activity Hall & Wilcox moved into utive arbitration centres such as Sin- Malcolm Shelton-Agar a more upbeat assessment than has been quiet,” Mr Knox said. Perth in 2015, initially with a said the volume of legal work gapore and London. many of his peers. He said additions to the focus on insurance, but with tended to reflect trends in the “The really big matters that Nationally, MinterEllison had partnership, such as Shaun a goal to build a full-service provide sustained work has WA economy at large, as meas- a record year in FY2018 with rev- McRobert, brought new capabil- offering. ured by state final demand. been arbitration,” he said. enue growing 20 per cent to $564 ities while also helping the firm Partner Kylie Groves said Mr Naughton said KWM’s “It’s pretty clear we have been million. service existing clients. the firm had made substantial Perth office continued to under- bubbling along the bottom,” he On this measure, MinterElli- “We’ve been very busy against progress. take a lot of work for non-WA said. son was the largest law firm in the broader economic tend in “This is still a work in progress, clients. Mr Shelton-Agar was quietly the Australian market. WA, so that’s made it easier to although we have expanded sig- “A significant portion of our optimistic about activity pick- “We’re also the most profita- attract new people when you’ve nificantly since 2015, as we have client base is institutions in ing up. ble we’ve been,” Mr Knox added. already got a book of work added employment with my Sydney, Melbourne or Asia,” he “It is getting better; we are He said the demand for legal there,” Mr Knox said. team and commercial litigation said. seeing more activity in the services has picked up signifi- “We were exporting a lot of work Mr Naughton told Business mid-tier mining sector and cantly since 2012. (to other offices) because we just the services that support the News the Perth partners won “MinterEllison has always didn’t have the capability here.” Continued on next page FEATURE LEGAL REVIEW Lawyers take stock as local sector splutters From previous page probably one of the most com- petitive markets in Australia,” MinterEllison’s Mr Knox said. with Scott Meacock joining ear- “However, the international lier this year,” she said. firms and east coast firms have Ms Groves said Hall & Wilcox generally expanded by acquir- operated as a national firm and ing local partners and as such the Perth office was able to the work they have attracted draw on the expertise of col- has largely been based around leagues in other practices and that partner’s practice.