The firm will be the sole Australian firm to date to establish a dedicated US presence
Johnson Winter Slattery (JWS) has opened a representative office in New York – the sole Australian firm to date to establish a dedicated US presence.
The office was launched in response to the significant uptick in US entities investing in Australia. It will cater to US-based clients investing and operating in Australia.
The New York office is expected to be a direct point of access to JWS’ Australia-based transaction, regulatory and disputes teams. It will exclusively practise Australian law; the US-based team will collaborate with the Australia-based foreign investment and competition teams on foreign direct investment (FIRB) and antitrust approvals, regulatory strategy and transaction execution matters.
Corporate partner Andrew Turner, who focuses on cross-border M&A and foreign investment, takes the helm at the new office.
“US investors are increasingly confronted with complex Australian regulatory issues and market differences that impact deal execution. Our presence in New York allows us to closely guide clients and their advisers as opportunities develop”, Turner said.
JWS noted that the US remains Australia’s main source of foreign investment, especially in the private equity, venture capital, technology and energy sectors.
“Our US clients continue to pursue significant opportunities in Australia and we welcome the opportunity to work more closely with clients and their advisers, providing seamless real-time access to our leading Australian legal expertise”, managing partner Jeremy Davis said.
In addition to the New York office, JWS has established offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. The firm’s focus is on working with major Australian and international corporates, investment funds and financial sponsors.
Earlier this year, the firm brought in partner Jan Hards to fill the new role of AI head; in this role, Hards oversees the firm’s AI adoption roadmap and the equipping of lawyers with AI competency to provide technology-enabled services. JWS also welcomed Peter Feros, former national tax head at Clayton Utz, as the head of its tax group earlier this year; he has worked with the likes of Wyloo Consolidated, Mandalay Resources, Tattarang, and Ainsworth Game Technology Limited.
Last November, Lee Carroll came in to head up JWS’ arbitration team from Melbourne, bringing her experience from working across London, Paris and Australia.
