Three new partners beef up Squire Patton Boggs’s team in Perth

Squire Patton Boggs (SPB) has appointed three new partners, beefing up the team in its Perth office.

Simon Adams is a corporate and commercial lawyer specialising in the power and gas industries. He has advised on a wide range of matters, including regulated markets, network and pipeline infrastructure and energy and trading markets.

He also has experience with competition/antitrust issues in relation to regulated and non-regulated infrastructure assets. He has represented asset owners, users and regulators.

Caroline Brown has expertise in the areas of energy, competition and regulatory law and disputes. She has acted in large-scale commercial disputes, with significant volumes of documentation and complex, disputed facts.

She has experience with all forms of alternative dispute resolution, and has advised clients in resolving matters through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, expert determination and litigation. She has also appeared before the Supreme Court and the Federal Court in commercial litigations.

Since 2002, Brown has represented the Economic Regulation Authority on access disputes before review bodies like the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the Australian Competition Tribunal.

Both Adams and Brown were previously with Holman Fenwick Willan.

“Simon and Caroline’s appointments signal the firm’s intention to play a leading role in this sector. Their expertise and capability is essential in order to meet our clients’ growing needs,” said Tony Chong, SPB’s Perth managing partner and head of the Australian Asia Desk. “This approach echoes our global strategy of making smart, strategic hires of talented people who will add further depth to our outstanding global energy practice.”

“SPB’s global strength in key energy and resources markets and strong reputation in international arbitrations were key factors in our decision to join the firm, and we are looking forward to working with our new colleagues around the network,” Adams and Brown said.

Meanwhile, Chris Rosario ascends to his new role as a “home-grown promotion” within SPB, the firm said. He is part of the firm’s corporate team, and has advised listed and unlisted corporations on matters involving domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and infrastructure projects.

During a three-year stay in Tokyo, he assisted Itochu Corporation with cross-border investments into Australia, Europe and the Middle East that have often involved resources, renewable energy and emerging technology. He recently provided advice to Itochu as a lead sponsor in the company’s consortium bid to design, finance, build and operate an energy-from-waste (EFW) facility in Serbia’s first EFW project.

“Internal advancements to partner are less common now than in the past. Chris’s appointment reflects his technical skills and his ability to provide wise counsel and outstanding service to clients. As a partner of the firm, he can build on his longstanding relationships with our Japanese clients,” Chong said.

Over 2019, SPB announced six new partner appointments in Australia, including the appointments of Mark Palermo in Perth and David Starkoff in Sydney. The firm has also continued to expand its teams in London, Singapore, Milan, New York and Dubai.

Caroline Brown

Chris Rosario