Five MinterEllison partners jump to rival firm

Global law firm MinterEllison has lost five partners to rival HFW, including four of its Perth partners and its chief representative in the Beijing office.

The Perth partners leaving MinterEllison include Adam Handley whose focus is on major Asian investment projects in Australia, including for China’s state owned and private enterprises.

MinterEllison’s chief representative for the Beijing office Bi Chen is also departing the major firm following more than six years in that role.

Other partners set to join HFW are electricity and gas industries-focused partner Matthew Knox, litigator and investigations specialist David Suttner and M&A specialist Bryn Davis.

Mr Handley, who also focuses on the resources, energy and infrastructure sectors, and Mr Knox have previously served as managing partners for MinterEllison’s WA team.

“We confirm that Adam Handley, Matthew Knox, David Suttner, Bryn Davis and Bi Chen have decided to leave the MinterEllison partnership,” a Minter spokesperson said in a brief statement.

“Their many contributions to the firm are gratefully acknowledged and we wish them all the best in their new endeavours.”

A team of 15 lawyers, mostly in Perth, will be joining HFW with the new partners.

The new recruits add to a period of rapid growth for HFW, which has expanded from a very small office in Perth to currently having six partners and 20 staff.

This total includes three Perth-based partners who have joined In the past 18 months.

Former State Solicitor Paul Evans joined last year from specialist litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.

More recently, HFW appointed Simon Billing as a partner specialising in industrial relations, safety and employment law.

He had been the director of his own firm, S Billing & Associates, since 2017 and had previously been a partner at Corrs Chamber Westgarth and DLA Piper.

HFW’s third Perth recruit was shipping lawyer Ashwin Nair, who was previously a director at boutique maritime firm Cocks Macnish.