Maddocks will open a new office in Canberra early in the new year.

The office will be headed by former Blake Dawson partner Simonetta Astolfi, who has over 20 years' experience dealing with high-level, complex public and private sector legal issues.

Astolfi will lead a team of lawyers advising Commonwealth clients on regulatory issues, commercial matters and dispute resolution.

Mark Henry, head of the Maddocks government sector, said the opportunity to open a Maddocks office in the nation's capital has been planned for some time.

David Rennick, Maddocks' CEO, said the new office would be the missing link in the firm's already strong government practice, adding that close to half of the firm's revenue is currently sourced from the public sector.

"The Commonwealth's desire to expand the range of firms from which it sources legal services provides an opportunity for Maddocks to establish a local presence in Canberra," Rennick said, adding that Astolfi, who worked for Blake Dawson for nine years in Sydney and Canberra, was a "clear choice" to develop a government practice.

"A cornerstone of Maddocks' strategy is to become a leading provider of legal services to government," he said.

The Canberra office is expected to open in February 2012.