A corporate, government, TMT and major projects lawyer, McDonald gained a wealth of experience at Clayton Utz where he held the national positions of departmental managing partner (corporate) and chairman of the energy and resources group, as well as a number of other senior leadership positions.

"Wally's decision to join Piper Alderman reflects the more general market trend of experienced legal talent moving away from larger firms towards more focused and agile full-service, mid-size firms in a rapidly evolving legal market," said Piper Alderman managing partner Tony Phelps.

McDonald has acted for a range of leading Australian and international corporations such as AWE Limited, Cable and Wireless, the Department of Defence, Telecom New Zealand, the New South Wales Government and the NSW Casino Liquor Gaming Control Authority.