The firm is opening its Perth to target litigation in the business sector, particularly mining and commodities. The new office will be headed by Paul Evans, State Solicitor for Western Australia, who will join as a partner at the end of the month. In his current role, Mr Evans is responsible for the Government of Australia's civil and regulatory legal practice and, as a result, was in hot demand in the legal sector with several of Australia’s law firms vying for his attentions. Managing Partner John Quinn said: ‘We have been trying to convince Paul to join us for the last couple of years. We are glad he finally did.’ Mr Evans also admitted: ‘Having been approached by a number of law firms, I wanted to find the perfect firm to use my skills.  I am confident that I now have.’

Demand

Mr Quinn said the firm had eyed up Perth for its position as centre of the  Australian mining and commodities business, 'industries in which Australia leads the world.' He added that there was 'a lot of demand for arbitration and other disputes work arising from the major projects there.’ Michael Mills, managing partner of the Sydney office, said: ‘Paul is an outstanding lawyer. We are confident his deep knowledge of the governmental issues combined with his experience as a private practitioner will be very attractive to our clients.’

Career

Earlier in his career, Mr Evans was a partner in the Perth office of Freehills (now Herbert Smith Freehills). He is an experienced litigator who has handled complex disputes of all kinds. He was appointed an Adjunct Professor of Law at Murdoch University Law School in 2007 where he teaches corporations law and corporate governance.