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Leanne Mezrani
HWL Ebsworth has acquired two-office firm Cridlands MB as part of its expansion into the Northern Territory.
HWL Ebsworth has acquired two-office firm Cridlands MB as part of its expansion into the Northern Territory.
The full-service commercial firm, with offices in Darwin and Alice Springs, will become part of HWL on 1 February 2015.
The partners are: financial services specialist Graeme Buckley; the head of the firm’s litigation team, Chris McDuff; government lawyer Richard Giles; and commercial, corporate and property law specialists Charlie Martel and Tony Morgan.
HWL Ebsworth managing partner Juan Martinez (pictured) said he sees opportunities for the firm in infrastructure development and work arising out of the Northern Territory’s economic links to Asia.
The firm also announced today that it has acquired South Australian firm Lawson Smith Lawyers. Six partners will join HWL’s Adelaide office, which was launched in July following the acquisition of Kelly & Co.
The Northern Territory is HWL’s fourth interstate launch in four years.
Aside from the firm’s recent move into South Australia, HWL opened an office in Canberra in 2011 and expanded into Western Australia in 2012.
HWL also continues to poach partners from rival firms, the most recent being restructuring and insolvency specialist David O’Farrell from Minter Ellison’s Brisbane office.
The acquisition of Cridlands MB and Lawson Smith Lawyers takes HWL’s partner numbers to 195 across its Australian offices.
