Previously the head of Corrs' PNG business group and co-head of Corrs' China business group, Latimer has worked on several major cross-border transactions involving corporations in Australia, China, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, South Africa, Canada and the USA.

"The main reason [I moved] is Norton Rose's global platform - that's the main driver. I do a lot of work offshore and having the global network that they have, the resources they have and the lawyers they have offshore was very attractive to my practice," Latimer told Lawyers Weekly.

"I haven't brought work over with me so I've started with a clean desk in a sense, but what I see as the opportunities for me is I that I have Australian clients that will go offshore ... I have Australian-based resources clients that are looking to expand overseas, make acquisitions or start new projects. And again, with the Norton Rose platform, we'll have lawyers offshore who can assist with that."

Advising clients across various sectors including energy and resources, transport and logistics, manufacturing and financial markets, the Chinese and Papua New Guinean markets will continue to form a key part of Latimer's practice.

"The big, added advantage that I see [working in a global practice] is being able to go with my China clients globally. Not only looking at Chinese clients going into Australia but also looking at Chinese clients going into Africa, into Asia," he said.

"A lot of my PNG clients are talking or doing deals with Chinese enterprises so I'm seeing a lot of opportunity to work with my Papua New Guinea clients in north Asia."