Her appointment, made effective on 16 January, signals the expansion of the firm's commercial and intellectual property practice.

According to mdp managing partner Michael McDonald, the firm experienced strong growth in the area of intellectual property in 2011.

Last year, mdp expanded its client base to include international furniture designer Schiavello, as well as an international reality television show and work in the social media space.

"[Verstak's appointment] provides some exciting opportunities for the rest of our team as our practice expands in the commercial arena," said McDonald.

In addition to the hire of Verstak, mdp also welcomed junior lawyer Xi Wang to the firm. Wang is of Chinese background and speaks fluent Mandarin, Shanghai dialect and English.