The new partners include six based in Australia: Kate S Cahill, Adam Charles, Natalie Gaspar, Katherine Gregor, Melissa Swain-Tonkin and Kwok Tang.

Ms Cahill is based in the firm’s disputes practice and Ms Gaspar is based in the firm’s employment, industrial relations and safety practice. Mr Charles, Ms Gregor, Ms Swain-Tonkin and Mr Tang are based in its corporate practice.

Ms Cahill, from Sydney, is described by HSF as a commercial litigator with extensive experience in large-scale and complex contentious regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, court proceedings and class actions. She specialises in the banking and financial services sector, and has expertise in financial crime regulatory issues including anti-money laundering / counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF).

Mr Charles, from Melbourne, advises on public and private M&A, domestic and offshore private funds, equity capital markets, financial distress scenarios, corporate reconstructions and corporate governance matters, according to HSF. He holds particular expertise in acting for superannuation/pension funds and private equity sponsors, and advising on transactions in the pharma/biotech sector. 

Ms Gaspar, also from Melbourne, is described as an employment and industrial relations specialist, who represents clients on a broad range of employee relations issues. Throughout her career she has worked with employers across a range of industries including retail and consumer products, transport and infrastructure, manufacturing, banking, aviation and oil and gas.

Ms Gregor, from Melbourne, specialises in a range of information technology and outsourcing projects, and holds significant experience in complex commercial technology transactions including software arrangements, acquisition of equipment, hosted services, systems integration, app development and maintenance, strategic procurement and commercial contacting, HSF said. 

Ms Swain-Tonkin, from Brisbane, is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer who specialises in public and private mergers and acquisitions predominantly in the mining and resources sector, as well as related contractual, corporate governance and regulatory matters, the firm said. 

Meanwhile, Mr Tang, from Sydney, is described by HSF as a technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) lawyer who advises on a broad range of transactions including strategic outsourcings and procurements, network rollouts, broadcasting agreements, and digital and data projects. He also frequently advises on cyber security, data and privacy issues.

“I am pleased to welcome these six Australian lawyers to our global partnership. As a firm, we are committed to developing talent, which is why it’s so rewarding to see these lawyers achieve such a significant career milestone,” Andrew Pike, regional managing partner, Australia, said.

“They are all leaders in their field; they consistently deliver outstanding work for our clients and positively contribute to the culture of the firm. I wish them all the best as they embark on this new stage of their careers.”