New leadership took the helm this month
Corporate partner James Macdonald has taken the helm at Piper Alderman as its first Melbourne-based managing partner.
He stepped into the role on 1 February, succeeding Tony Britten-Jones. Macdonald will work alongside deputy managing partners Martin Lovell and McKenzie Moore.
Macdonald praised his predecessor, who will transition to leading the firm’s national real estate group.
“Over 11 years, Tony oversaw significant firm growth and a strategic national expansion. Martin and McKenzie bring an exceptional skill set and breadth of experience to their leadership roles and together we will work to set the firm up for even greater success”, Macdonald said.
The new managing partner said the firm would be focusing strongly on AI.
“While AI poses challenges for the legal industry, we’re tackling it head-on because we see huge benefits for our clients. We are already using AI tools to help combat cyber threats and phishing and augment document reviews and drafting. We believe AI has the potential to unlock more client growth whilst providing further administrative efficiencies”, Macdonald said.
Macdonald has over three decades under his belt as a practitioner, having tackled M&As, capital raisings, corporate governance, venture capital and commercial contracts. His clients have included listed and unlisted companies and private equity funds.
Adelaide-based Lovell leads Piper Alderman’s national projects, infrastructure and construction team, while Sydney-based Moore concentrates on complex commercial litigation and cross-border disputes.
