DWF's Newcastle office, which officially opened in May 2018 following the appointment of a number of senior hires, is its fourth in the Australian market. The UK-headquartered business first expanded into the Australian market following the acquisition of global claims management business Triton, which had an existing office in Sydney. A subsequent merger with Kaden Boriss brought further offices in Melbourne and Brisbane and a new full-service offering to clients across the full range of transactional, advisory and dispute resolution work. The business's Newcastle team, in particular, have expertise in corporate, commercial, real estate, infrastructure, litigation and employment with sector strengths in servicing mining, manufacturing, health, technology, port, transport and tourism.
DWF has firmly established itself as a global legal business, transforming legal services through their people for their clients, and has differentiated itself in the Australian market through its Connected Services offering, its division of complementary and non-legal solutions. By offering services including claims processing, adjusting, advocacy, forensic accounting and R&D support, and tapping into the expertise offered by the Connected Services division globally, DWF can provide clients support that goes beyond the traditional legal advisor role.
David Reid, Executive Partner of DWF's Newcastle office, commented "It was a pleasure to welcome old contacts, new ones and raise a glass to celebrate the opening of the Newcastle office. There is great potential for economic growth in Newcastle, and as the first international legal business to come to the region, we truly recognise it as an emerging market. With plans for continued expansion, including a number of new hires in the pipeline, we look forward to sharing some new announcements in the coming months"
Mark Hickey, Chairman DWF (Asia Pacific), responded "The continuing expansion of DWF in Australia has been rightly celebrated, and the future holds exciting prospects for the Newcastle team. David and I are excited at the prospect of delivering enhanced services to local clients, as well as leveraging our strengths and expertise in Newcastle to support the development of the business's wider strategic growth."
DWF recently boosted its Newcastle offering with the hiring announcement of senior property lawyer Michelle Mullard who brings a wealth of knowledge and a significant client following. Michelle's expertise will complement the existing property practices of Mark Hickey, Brendan Tobin and Alex Wheeler and position the team as one of the most experienced property advisors in the region.
