The launch comes less than four years after the firm was first established in Sydney
Litigation and insolvency firm Ironbridge Legal has expanded outside of its Sydney headquarters to open doors in Melbourne.
The firm sought to have an on-the-ground presence in Victoria as a result of client demand. The firm’s new office will be located on Bourke Street.
The expansion comes less than four years since Ironbridge Legal first debuted on the legal scene. Ironbridge Legal indicated that it sought to extend its reach while remaining a specialist firm.
“Maintaining a genuine deep specialism was important to Ironbridge Legal’s ability to win high-quality work locally and overseas, as well as being a credible partner for referral work from top-tier firms while simultaneously not being seen as a threat”, founder Trevor Withane explained.
He also highlighted the opportunity to reach candidates in Melbourne as competition ticks up for top legal talent.
“At a time of increased competition for the most talented and well-rounded litigation and insolvency lawyers, having meaningful access to the pool of candidates in Melbourne was also part of a strategic human resource consideration”, Withane said.
He confirmed that the Sydney and Melbourne teams would be able to collaborate with each other on matters.
“Working across borders has kept our small team feeling connected and integrated”, Withane said.
The Ironbridge Legal founder will split his time between the Sydney and Melbourne offices as the head of both. Assisting him will be litigation and insolvency associate Alice Rolph, who the firm said was crucial to the launch of the new branch.
Rolph resided in Melbourne for a few years before commencing with the firm. She worked with boutique and medium-sized firms on cross-border, small and complex litigation and insolvency matters for six years.
Graduate-at-law Radith Khan has also joined Ironbridge Legal, and will be working across both offices.
New Asia practice
Ironbridge Legal has also debuted a new practice focusing on the Asia market, given the increasing volume of matters the firm is handling in relation to cross-border disputes, insolvency and restructuring involving Asian and or Asia-based counter-parties, particularly Chinese or Singaporean parties.
The firm’s new Asia desk will focus on the requirements of Asian clients as well as inbound and outbound referrals. To this end, the firm has brought in two Mandarin speakers and a Cantonese speaker, including graduate-at-law Vivian He.
