The merger between the two will see Chadbourne & Parke fall under the Norton Rose Fulbright banner.

According to Norton Rose Fulbright’s global chief executive, Peter Martyr, the merger will see the firm have new capabilities in New York and Washington, DC, while it will also benefit from new offices in Mexico City, São Paulo and Istanbul. Under the new arrangement, he added, the firm will be able to offer clients expanded services across the globe.

Speaking to Lawyers Weekly about how the merger will specifically benefit Australia-based clients, Norton Rose Fulbright managing partner in Australia, Wayne Spanner, said, “The US is the world’s largest legal market, and it has a significant influence on domestic and international businesses in Australia. As an international law firm in Australia, it is critical to have strong and established links into the US, as well as Asia-Pacific and Europe. We are delighted that we can bring these resources to bear for the benefit of our clients”.

“After we moved into the US in 2013, it was always our aim to expand our presence there, especially in the critically important financial centre of New York. The US continues to have such a huge influence on global markets, through the flow of capital, regulation and the growth of businesses across all manner of industries. Our clients expect us to have breadth and depth in the US, and it is often an important factor in the decision of multinational companies when they are appointing their global legal panels.

“We see significant benefits for our Australia-based clients and people as a result of this combination. We expect there to be a natural increase in the referral of matters between Australia and the US, and that our clients will enjoy our added depth that will be brought in our key industry areas (financial institutions; energy; infrastructure, mining and commodities; transport; technology and innovation; and life sciences and healthcare) and range of practices including banking and corporate finance, project finance, bankruptcy and financial restructuring, litigation, dispute resolution and regulatory law.”

Mr Spanner noted that the move also demonstrates Norton Rose Fulbright’s commitment to growth.

“In November, we launched our first office in Port Moresby, and we are pleased to be meeting with our clients on 23 February for our official launch event and to discuss the huge opportunities we see for that country and its people,” he added.