Partner Vanessa Maruna has joined Sparke Helmore in its planning environment and local government practice group and will serve as the head of the firm’s new Cairns office, which opened this month.

The expansion into Cairns marks the 10th office for the national firm, following its established presence in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney, and the Upper Hunter region of NSW.

She is joined at the BigLaw firm by senior lawyers Leeanne Bou-Samra and Sangeetha Badya. The trio came across from fellow BigLaw practice Holding Redlich.

In a statement, Sparke Helmore said that Maruna holds dual qualifications in law and town planning, making her “uniquely placed” to assist her clients in navigating the planning and environment and compulsory acquisition regulatory frameworks across Queensland.

She has, the firm said, worked on large-scale master planning projects, waste facilities, and renewable energy projects; represented local government and government-owned corporations; provided advice to major developers, mining companies, publicly listed companies, and private entities. Her expertise lies in urban development; renewables; infrastructure; waste; compulsory acquisition; and environmental approvals, compliance, and enforcement.

The news follows a year of growth for Sparke Helmore.

In mid-September, the firm added a special counsel from MinterEllison; promoted a commercial insurance practice to special counsel at the beginning of the month; elevated five to partner and 32 to senior positions in July; hired Simon Lewis and Alice Chen within the firm’s projects and government commercial practice group in May; took of a team of five lawyers, including partner Janette McLennan from Clyde & Co that same month; appointed Sheldon Garcia, formerly a partner at BigLaw rival HWL Ebsworth, as a new partner in the group in mid-April; and added three professionals, including partner Marie-Clare Elder, in February.

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Speaking about the hires, Sparke Helmore national planning environment and local government leader Alan McKelvey said: “We are pleased to welcome Vanessa and her team to Sparke Helmore.

“She is a market-leading planning practitioner with a strong client focus and is a known and trusted pair of hands. Vanessa’s team are excellent operators, and we are delighted they have decided to join us as we expand our national reach in Northern Australia.”

Maruna said: “I am excited to join Sparke Helmore and work with a team known for its technical excellence and collegiate culture.

“This is a great opportunity for my team to help build on already strong foundations and contribute to growing the practice throughout Queensland as well as provide on the ground regional support for our Northern Australian clients.”