Australian firm will take seven partners, who act for Commonwealth clients, from global firm
Ashurst, a global law firm, and Thomson Geer, an independent Australian corporate law firm, have jointly announced that Ashurst’s Canberra office will officially be joining Thomson Geer, effective early July.
“As a consequence of a review of our strategic priorities, Ashurst has decided to wind down its work for the Commonwealth under one of its panel arrangements,” said Lea Constantine, Ashurst’s head of region for Australia, in a joint news release.
“Once we reached this decision, we were pleased to connect with Thomson Geer, a major Australian law firm that has a commitment to high quality and cultural standards,” Constantine added.
According to the news release from the two firms, the Canberra team has a reputation for its Commonwealth government practice. The team moving to Thomson Geer comprises seven partners: Rob Andersen, Mathew Baldwin, Melanie McKean, Steve McKinney, Sarah Ross-Smith, Elissa Speight, and Angela Summersby.
“Ashurst has built an outstanding Commonwealth Government legal practice,” said Adrian Tembel, Thomson Geer chief executive partner, in the news release. “I congratulate them on what they have created.”
The move to Thomson Geer “will ensure the Commonwealth Government will continue to receive the very best legal advice and services, as they have come to expect from our Canberra team,” Constantine said. “Meanwhile, we are confident that all our people moving to Thomson Geer will continue to have the very best career opportunities.”
“We will build on their success and invest further to ensure that this practice continues to be the 'go to' team for complex Commonwealth Government legal work across all areas of the Whole of Australian Government legal services panel,” Tembel added. “We look forward to welcoming the excellent lawyers at all levels of the Ashurst Canberra team to Thomson Geer."
In the news release, the two firms shared that the seven partners, with decades of experience assisting various Commonwealth clients, are eager to resume their practice with Thomson Geer. The firms added that they are working to ensure an uninterrupted transition of these lawyers’ work for such Commonwealth clients.
“We thank Thomson Geer for working collaboratively and professionally with us on this transition,” Constantine said in the joint news release. “We also thank our Canberra colleagues for their many years of hard work and dedication to our firm. They leave with our best wishes and our full support to continue their outstanding work for the Commonwealth Government.”
“This move reflects the next stage of ongoing evolution of the Australian legal services market,” Tembel added.
