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Firms respond to rumoured merger
Two firms with distinct Australian presences have clarified whether they’re in the midst of merger talks, following rumours being spread throughout the profession.
Emma Musgrave
Sources told Lawyers Weekly that Norton Rose Fulbright and Henry Davis York were in the midst of merger talks.
Lawyers Weekly reached out to both NRF and HDY on separate occasions earlier this month, asking them to comment on the growing speculation about the merger.
At the time, both declined to comment. However, today an NRF spokesman told Lawyers Weekly that the two firms are not merging, despite the rumours circulating in the legal industry.
“There is often market speculation about mergers in the global and Australian context,” the spokesman said.
“We, like many firms, are subject to such speculation from time to time. As you would expect, we often talk to people and firms in jurisdictions around the world, about all sorts of possibilities.
“We are currently focused on building out our practice in the Asia-Pacific region, most recently in Papua New Guinea, and elsewhere, and are constantly evaluating different ways of doing this.”
Meanwhile, an HDY spokesperson said the firm has no plans to undertake a merger.
"Henry Davis York currently has no plans to undertake a merger," the spokesperson told Lawyers Weekly.
According to the Australian Financial Reviews' Street Talk column, a HDY spokesperon also said:“HDY, as should any law firm in the Australian legal market, talks to other firms all the time on a range of subjects”.
The denial of the merger talks came after NRF announced the opening of a new office in Port Morseby, which will see at least two of its Australian partners help set up shop.
Norton Rose Fulbright launched the Port Moresby office last week, eyeing opportunities in PNG’s energy and resources sector, and in infrastructure and telecommunications as its economy continues to develop.
“Our investment in PNG comes, I think for us, at a good time,” partner Steve Johns told Lawyers Weekly.
“We’re supportive of the PNG economy, of the people, and we see great growth opportunities there so the main thing was to take the next step, and that’s what we’ve done.”
Emma Musgrave
Emma Musgrave (née Ryan) is the managing editor, professional services at Momentum Media.
Emma has worked for Momentum Media since 2015, including five years spent as the editor of the company's legal brand - Lawyers Weekly. Throughout her time at Momentum, she has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in corporate Australia. In addition, she has produced exclusive multimedia and event content related to the company's respective brands and audiences.
Prior to joining Momentum Media, Emma worked in breakfast radio, delivering news to the Central West region of NSW, before taking on a radio journalist role at Southern Cross Austereo, based in Townsville, North Queensland.
She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree from Charles Sturt University.
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