New partner Lee was formerly Burford Capital's Australian operations head
Litigation and arbitration specialist firm Lindsay Francis & Mangan (LFM) has launched its first Australia branch in Sydney.
Matt Lee, who used to lead the Australian operations of litigation and arbitration funder Burford Capital, joins the firm as a partner. He will head up the new office.
“This is a natural evolution for the firm, coupled with what we see is a real opportunity for an independent blue-chip disputes offering in the Australian market”, partner Tim Lindsay said. “We have been active representing Australian clients for many years outside of Australia and believe that our client-first culture and hands-on partner engagement with lean and focused teams will resonate in Australia as it has elsewhere”.
Mark Mangan, who heads up the firm’s arbitration practice, described Australia as “an increasingly important arbitration market, supported by a strong class of arbitration counsel and arbitrators”.
“The New Zealand and Australian economies are more deeply connected than ever and we’ve frequently found ourselves acting for Australian clients dealing with disputes in New Zealand or vice versa”, partner Kim Francis said. “Having boots on the ground in Sydney provides clients with a seamless dispute resolution offering across both countries and Singapore. This is particularly important in relation to the increasing incidence of cross-border insolvency administrations at this stage of the global economic cycle”.
Lee said that his skills were influenced by his experiences as a trial lawyer and arbitration counsel, as well as his time in legal finance.
“There are a growing number of Australian businesses and investors that are demanding a more nimble, proactive, and cost-effective approach to resolving their business disputes in ways that are more conscious of their time, resources, and broader business objectives. We are building a firm that has those values front of mind always”, Lee said.
LFM currently has branches in Auckland and Singapore.
