DLA Piper elevates Australian leaders to global roles

In a move DLA Piper says is “a significant endorsement of Australia’s performance within the firm,” the global firm has elevated joint Australian managing partners, Melinda Upton and Jim Holding, to international roles.

The promotions are part of a revamp of the firm’s international executive ranks. Upton will be the first woman and Asia-Pacific-based partner to head an international practice group, succeeding Stephane Lemarchand as the global head of the firm’s intellectual property and technology (IPT) group.

Holding will work with Simon Levine, DLA Piper global co-CEO, to develop a new change function, the firm said. The leaders will commence in their new roles on 1 May.

DLA Piper has chosen Amber Matthews, who was appointed as Syndyey managing partner last year, as the next Australian country managing partner.

Matthews is a long-time DLA Piper lawyer. She joined legacy Philips Fox as a summer clerk in Sydney in 1999. She moved to DLA Piper in London in 2003 and became an international general counsel in 2011. She returned to Sydney in 2014.

“Change and innovation is at the heart of DLA Piper's evolution, so I am delighted that Jim will be taking a pivotal role,” Levine said. “IPT is one of our most substantial practices, consisting globally of almost 150 partners and I’m confident that being led by Melinda it is in good hands.”