HWL Ebsworth Lawyers

SPECIAL REPORT: There has been a flurry of high-profile moves by senior lawyers in Perth as the sector readies for a pick-up from several quiet years.

Commercial property owner Dexus has budgeted to spend $165 million on 240 St Georges Terrace, with works to commence in 2019 following the departure of the building's largest tenant Woodside.

Real estate investment trust Dexus has filled more than half of 240 St Georges Terrace – the Woodside Petroleum building – with Macquarie Bank and engineering group Wood plc committing to about 22,870 square metres of space at the tower.

King & Wood Mallesons, which ranks as the fourth largest law firm in WA, has expanded its local office with two lateral hires, Carl Black and Sam Dundas.

The ranking of Perth’s major law firms has changed substantially over the past two years.

HWL Ebsworth Lawyers is set to become the sixth largest law firm in Western Australia after striking a deal to acquire boutique Perth firm Bellanhouse Lawyers.

Three Western Australian companies led by experienced mining executives are hoping to defy the slump in new stock market listings by launching initial public offerings over the past week.

Western Australia’s latest initial public offering has brought together an unlikely pairing – a tech company that has been strongly supported by venture capital investors and a stockbroking firm that has traditionally focused on the mining sector.

Perth companies Emerald Clinics and Little Green Pharma are seeking to raise up to $18 million ahead of stock market listings as they pursue very different strategies in the medicinal cannabis market.

Junior gold explorer Alto Metals has received an off-market takeover bid from Chinese-owned Goldsea Australia Mining in an all-cash deal worth $20.7 million.

There has been a significant re-ranking of law firms in Perth over the past year, while the sector is also adapting to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

Perth law firms say flexible working arrangements will be more common after their experience of the past two months.

A flood of money for goldminers has defined WA’s corporate finance market this year, with Canaccord Genuity and Macquarie Capital leading the charge.

Allens is poised to substantially broaden its corporate practice in WA after recruiting two partners from rival firm HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, including Bryn Hardcastle.

Western Australian companies Dacian Gold and NTM Gold have agreed to merge their assets, with the combined group to have a market capitalisation of $285 million.

A post-pandemic bounce back in initial public offerings could indicate confidence among WA investors.

For the second year running, Macquarie Capital and Canaccord Genuity have topped Business News’ league table for capital raisings.

There has been plenty of change during the past year in Perth’s legal fraternity, which is enjoying healthy trade.

Wangara business Dynamic Drill and Blast expects to add about $30 million to its full-year revenue, following the acquisition of fellow contractor Orlando Drilling.

Gascoyne Resources is set to extend the life of its Dalgaranga operations near Mt Magnet through an all-scrip purchase of Firefly Resources, whose assets include a nearby gold project.

Law firms Steinepreis Paganin and Thomson Geer and stockbroker Canaccord Genuity were the top deal makers in the June half.

The board of Cirrus Networks has rejected what is calls an inadequate takeover bid from Webcentral Group that valued the Perth-based IT services business at about $30 million.

DDH1 Drilling has launched a friendly takeover of counterpart Swick Mining Services, sending the target's shares up by more than 20 per cent.

Mercedes car dealers are taking legal action against Mercedes-Benz to fight a new business model they say could decimate their industry.

“It has been a busy year and it continues to be,” is how Simon Reed describes current market conditions in Western Australia.

Sydney-based law firm Hamilton Locke has entered the Western Australian market with a bang after recruiting four corporate finance partners from HWL Ebsworth Lawyers.

More than a dozen law firm partners in Perth including Paul Evans, Paul Lingard and Spencer Flay are on the move in an extraordinary period of change for the sector.

Perth’s top law firms open up on the extraordinary wave of partner poaching that is reshaping the sector.

Law firm Allen & Overy has recruited Matthew Johnson from the rapidly shrinking Perth office of Hogan Lovells, ahead of the planned retirement of A&O’s top Perth partner Geoff Simpson.

Duratec will buy private welding and engineering business Wilson’s Pipe Fabrication for up to $18 million in a bid to tap into the oil and gas market.

Leaders from some of Perth’s major professional services firms have seen big changes in their working lives over three decades.

A state government body is confirmed to be one of the clients whose data has been compromised in the cyber hacking incident of national law firm HWL Ebsworth.

Sydney-based technology business Atturra has offered to acquire Paul Everingham-chaired IT solutions provider Cirrus Networks in a $49 million deal.

The federal government says it will support small and medium businesses to strengthen their cyber security as part of a new national strategy.