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Piper Alderman a ‘natural fit’ for clients out west
Almost a year on from its launch in Western Australia, national law firm Piper Alderman spoke with Lawyers Weekly about how the firm is faring since its expansion.
Jerome Doraisamy
In the middle of last year, Piper Alderman opened its fifth office across the country – in Perth – marking a “major milestone” in the firm’s national growth strategy.
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In conversation with Lawyers Weekly, head of the firm’s Perth office Shane Entriken said that the team out west has “hit the ground running”.
Piper Alderman, he proclaimed, “has been very well-received in Perth”.
“It is a natural fit for the majority of clients in this market, which tend to be smaller to medium-sized businesses, as opposed to the global corporates that you might find in Sydney or Melbourne,” he submitted.
“We continue to gain market share and grow our client base. The challenge is getting all of the work done rather than finding more work. I am very proud of the cultural DNA of our people. They are achievers – no obstacle is too great. We work together and we get things done.
This is “only the start for Perth”, Mr Entriken declared.
Piper Alderman is building a full-service offering in its Perth office, he detailed, with the intention that this office will be a “substantial and strong contributor” to the national revenue of the firm.
“There are substantial opportunities for those who come in early as foundational partners in Perth in their respective practice areas. They can be part of shaping the office and be the beneficiary of interstate work flows,” he noted.
“Culture is critical in an office. We are looking for partners and teams who fit with our desired culture. We have a light touch management style and provide significant freedom for our people to run their practice and to innovate.”
The firm’s Perth-based team is searching for partners and professionals across myriad practice areas, including projects and construction, real estate, corporate, dispute resolution, litigation, employment, workplace, health and safety, financial services and fintech, and insolvency.
Tony Britten-Jones, managing partner of Piper Alderman, supported Mr Entriken’s arguments, noting that the national firm is “well-positioned” to capitalise on the fast-changing landscape confronting almost all businesses in a post-pandemic environment.
“We prioritise the provision of bespoke legal services in our core practice areas and have steered ourselves away from commoditised work. These are areas of practice, which our lawyers find engaging and our clients value,” he said.
“The increasingly regulated and competitive business environment in which most of our clients operate means that opportunities to assist our clients continue to present and this has certainly contributed to the growth we have experienced across our five offices in our core practice areas.”
When asked what has fuelled that growth, Mr Britten-Jones said that evolution and innovation are in the firm’s DNA.
“Those attributes have played a significant role in fuelling the growth that has seen the firm’s revenue base and staffing numbers increase significantly over the past 12 months,” he said.
