An Australian firm has laid bare its ambitious expansion plans by going on a hiring binge.
Mills Oakley has brought five new partners and 30 legal staff on board for its Sydney offices in the last two months, boosting the firm’s total number of partners to 52.
The new partners - Simon Champion, Malcolm Davis, Susan Warda, Jason Leonard and Rohan White - all joined the firm between January and March this year.
The new hires are spread among practice areas including corporate advisory, financial services, government, workplace relations and family law.
The firms Mills Oakley recruited from include
Piper Alderman,
Sparke Helmore, Herbert Geer, Coleman Greig and
HWL Ebsworth.
The firm's CEO John Nerurker said the appointments reflected the firm’s plans to expand the Sydney office more in line with the scale of the firm’s Melbourne operations.
“As we take on more ASX200 clients, we are adopting an ambitious growth strategy for the Sydney office to better serve clients," he said.
"As a result, the scale of our practice areas in Sydney will ultimately equal those of our Melbourne office.”
Nerurker said the firm was also looking towards Brisbane for further expansion over the next two years.
The appointments come as Mills Oakley celebrates its 150th anniversary, having been founded in Melbourne in 1864 by John Scott Mills.
| Partner name |
Practice Area |
Departing |
| Simon Champion |
Corporate Advisory |
Piper Alderman |
Rohan White |
Government and Administrative Law |
Sparke Helmore |
Malcolm Davis |
Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety |
Herbert Geer |
Susan Warda |
Family Law |
Coleman Greig |
Jason Leonard |
Financial Services |
HWL Ebsworth |
