Gadens offices join global firm

Law firm Gadens will trade as Dentons in Perth, Sydney and Port Moresby from this month, but other offices in Gadens’ Australian network are sticking with their established brand.

The new branding comes a year after Gadens, Dentons and Singapore firm Rodyk announced plans to combine their operations.

The Dentons-Rodyk tie-up has already been implemented.

Dentons Australia region chief executive Steve Healy, who was previously chair of Gadens’ Sydney office, said there would be no change in control or ownership of the local practices.

Gadens had an unusual federation structure, with Sydney, Perth and Port Moresby operating as one firm and other offices maintaining autonomy.

Mr Healy said there would be a high degree of continuity, despite the differing branding across the country.

“This is not a big change from the federated structure,” Mr Healy told Business News.

He said the Dentons offices had reached an agreement with the Gadens offices in Brisbane and Adelaide to service clients.

He added that Dentons would continue to offer national solutions for its banking clients.

Gadens has 26 legal professionals in Perth, ranking it as the 28th largest law firm in Western Australia, according to the BNiQ Search Engine.

Mr Healy said the link with Dentons was a fantastic opportunity for the Perth, Sydney and Port Moresby offices.

He said Dentons was the largest law firm in the world and unrivalled for its innovation and access to technology.

“We have enjoyed an exceptional track record in Australia for almost 90 years and in Papua New Guinea for over 45 years, and this combination will allow us to offer our clients connections to international markets with business expertise and legal experience across every practice and sector globally,” Mr Healy said.

Globally, Dentons has 7,600 lawyers serving 57 countries on six continents.

Global chief executive Elliott Portnoy said adding experience in Australia’s banking and finance, real estate, infrastructure, energy and natural resources sectors would enhance the firm’s offerings to clients in the Pacific Rim.