Allens Arthur Robinson has appointed Mun Yeow and Andrew Maher as partners in the top-tier firm. Yeow, a member of the Asian team, specialised in insurance, commercial litigation and regulatory investigation. Maher, based in Melbourne, is a member of the litigation and intellectual property department. He specialises in insurance, commercial litigation and product liability work. The firm also made 14 senior associate appointments. 

Allens Arthur Robinson this month confirmed that 114 staff had been approved for redundancy. It is the first time in at least 20 years the firm has offered a voluntary redundancy program. About a dozen asked for redundancies but were refused. 

At Piper Alderman, the dispute resolution team has been boosted with the appointment of Kim Dewhurst as partner. She's a long-time employee of the firm, having joined as a lawyer in 2004. 

Meanwhile, Piper also promoted Florian Ammer to senior associate in Sydney and James Nunn as associate in Adelaide, both in dispute resolution. 

Queensland-based firm Cooper Grace Ward has announced two senior appointments in its practice. Ann Somers has joined its property, planning and environment practice as special counsel, while Andrew Cheetham joins the financial services practice as partner. 

The appointments come after many firms announced earlier this year they would be implementing hiring freezes. But a swag of new appointments have brought new hope in the financial downturn.

Minter Ellison welcomed 15 new partners to its fold this month, depite its chief executive partner Nigel McBridge telling The New Lawyer that he’s well aware “the goal posts have changed” in the new economic climate.

“We are going into the next financial year with cautious optimism,” he said.