HWL Ebsworth acquires Botten Levinson Lawyers

The move, the national firm said in a statement, “marks a significant milestone” in its renewed growth journey and reinforces its commitment to expanding its footprint and specialist capabilities across the country, and the addition of Botten Levinson Lawyers reflects a “strong outlook” for the firm.

Four of Botten Levinson Lawyers’ six principals – James Levinson, Ali Field, Rosie Jervis, and Pip Metljak – will be joining HWL, while the firm’s remaining two principals have made personal decisions against transitioning over.

All four principals are joining as partners.

The integration into HWL will also see, the firm noted, the majority of Botten Levinson Lawyers welcomed into the BigLaw player, providing continuity for clients and strengthening the firm’s presence in South Australia.

Levinson said the acquisition is an “exciting chapter” for both his team and HWL: “Joining HWL Ebsworth will provide our clients with access to a national network of specialists and a broader suite of legal services, while allowing us to continue to deliver the high-calibre advice we’re known for in South Australia.”

“We were hopeful all six principals would join us in transitioning to HWL Ebsworth. While two have chosen a different path for their own personal reasons, we wish them success for the future.”

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The acquisition is effective as of 1 August.

HWL’s Adelaide office currently has 21 partners and 129 other staff. The addition of the four principals from Botten Levinson Lawyers will bring the firm’s South Australia-based partnership total to 25.

The news follows HWL’s promotion of 102 professionals last month, including six to its national partnership.

Speaking about the acquisition, HWL chief executive Russell Mailler said: “We are delighted to welcome such a well-regarded team, which will add to our existing pre-eminent environmental and planning capability across Australia.”

The firm’s chair of partners, Jamie Restas, said: “This move brings together the market-leading expertise of Botten Levinson Lawyers with our existing full-service capability, creating even greater breadth of service for our clients in South Australia.”

“We look forward to introducing our new team members to our existing clients in the coming months.”

Mailler said: “This is another step towards our ultimate goal of further enhancing our offering to clients on a full range of exceptional services across all areas of law, regardless of where they’re operating in the country.”

HWL has almost 1,800 staff nationally, including 279 partners, across its nine offices, located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Hobart, Norwest (north-west Sydney), Perth and Sydney.