Press Release
HFW Continues To Grow Its Australia Presence With New Partner And Senior Associate In Perth
Global, sector-focussed law firm HFW continues its growth in Australia with the partner hire of workplace, industrial relations and safety specialist Charmaine Tsang and senior associate Steve Bowler. Both join HFW’s Perth office on 14 April 2020 from Lavan.
The recent hire continues HFW’s growth of its workplace relations capability in Australia. In early 2019, HFW launched an Australian workplace relations practice with the hire of a specialist eight-lawyer team, led by partners Mark Sant and Brendan Milne. Mark and Brendan are based in Sydney and Melbourne, respectively, and Charmaine’s arrival in Perth completes HFW’s workplace relations offering across Australia.
Gavin Vallely, Managing Partner, Australia:
“We are delighted to welcome Charmaine and Steve to HFW to enhance our workplace relations and safety capability, in particular in the resources, construction, marine and energy sectors, which are key industry areas for HFW.”
Mark Sant, Head of Workplace Relations:
“We are excited to have Charmaine and Steve join our growing team. This is a critical step in advancing our national capability. Charmaine and Steve give us an important presence on the ground in Perth as well as strengthening our national work health and safety and industrial relations capabilities. The opportunity for us to collaborate to meet our clients’ growing needs for specialist strategic advice has never been greater given the impact COVID-19 is having on workplaces across Australia.”
Charmaine Tsang, Partner, HFW:
“I am very excited to join as the Perth arm of HFW’s highly regarded workplace relations practice in Australia – working together with my colleagues in Sydney and Melbourne in contributing to what is already an outstanding workplace relations practice.”
These recent additions continue HFW’s growth strategy. The workplace relations team now counts 13 lawyers after the hire of a specialist eight-lawyer team in Sydney and Melbourne in 2019.
About HFW Australia
HFW was among the earliest international law firm entrants to Australia, establishing an office in Melbourne in 2006. The firm now has 90 lawyers, including 23 partners, across three offices in the country, having launched in Sydney and Perth in 2009 and 2011, respectively.
Unlike the majority of international law firms, which established themselves in Australia by merging with or acquiring a local firm, HFW built its practice through a combination of organic growth and strategic lateral hires.
