It's been quieter than usual on the lawyer movement front this year, but - as this selection proves - in boom times and in doom times, there will always be demand for the crème de la crème of legal talent.

HYNES LANDS NEW HEALTH CARE HEAD

JULIE MCSTAY

TO: HYNES LAWYERS

FROM: BLAKE DAWSON

SPECIALTY: HEALTH AND AGED CARE

In early June, Queensland firm Hynes Lawyers announced it had snapped up health and aged care specialist Julie McStay from Blake Dawson.

Having been with Blakes for eight years and a senior associate at the time of leaving, McStay took up the challenge to join Hynes as a partner and head up a new health, aged care and disability services team. The gamble paid off, and over the last six months McStay has steadily built the practice to a team of four.

Most recently, the practice scored a coup when McStay was handpicked by the Aged Care Association Australia to undertake a review of the Aged Care Act 1997. Speaking to Lawyers Weekly at the time, McStay explained that the long-awaited review was in response to growing concern that - as a result of the current regulatory system - the sector was becoming increasingly unable to meet the needs of Australia's ageing citizens.

"It's pretty well accepted and recognised in the industry that the current system is stymieing the growth of the aged care industry," she explained.

She added that being selected for the review provided a "great opportunity" to build the skills and reputation of her team.

FROM IN-HOUSE TO HDY

HELEN VICKERS

TO: HENRY DAVIS YORK

FROM: ROADS AND TRAFFIC AUTHORITY

SPECIALTY: PUBLIC SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND MAJOR PROJECTS

Snapping up experienced in-house talent is always a big coup for a law firm so Henry Davis York was in luck when it secured the appointment of public sector specialist Helen Vickers.

Vickers, who joined HDY's corporate advisory group, brought with her more than 12 years' experience as the head of legal of various public sector organisations including the State Rail Authority of NSW, Railcorp, the NSW RTA, the Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation and the Olympic Roads and Transport Authority.

Vickers has a wealth of experience in road and rail infrastructure PPPs, having been involved with the Airport Link, Epping to Chatswood Rail Line/Chatswood Transport Interchange, Cross City Tunnel, Lane Cove Tunnel, M2, M5, M7, Eastern Distributer and Sydney Harbour Tunnel.

She's also been able to use her in-house experience at the firm, completing reviews of a number of in-house legal practices, advising them on restructures and improvement in performance.

Vickers said she also hoped to be able to use her in-house experience to assist HDY's in-house clients by running seminars focusing on the unique problems and issues in-house lawyers face.

DLA PHILLIPS FOX LEVERAGES ALLIANCE

TONY HOLLAND AND ALEX GUY

TO: DLA PHILLIPS FOX

FROM: DLA PIPER

SPECIALTY: FINANCE AND PPPS

DLA Phillips Fox has been making the most of its alliance with international giant DLA Piper, having this year snapped up some top talent from DLA Piper's very senior ranks.

First off the blocks, in late October DLA Phillips Fox announced that DLA Piper's Tony Holland had been appointed as the firm's new chief executive, effective from 15 February 2010. Holland is currently the managing partner of DLA Piper's Dubai office and regional head of finance for the Middle East.

Holland will be taking over the reins from DLA Phillips Fox veteran Tony Crawford, who announced his retirement from the firm in May. News of Crawford's departure created ripples in legal circles - Crawford having been a partner of the firm for more than 20 years and its chief executive for 10. He said at the time he was considering his future plans, which might include a leadership position within another organisation.

Then less than a week after Holland's appointment, the Fox announced that Alex Guy, a DLA Piper PPP specialist based in the UK, would be joining the firm's Brisbane office in the new year.

Guy will bring to DLA Phillips Fox particular expertise in rail projects, having advised on PPPs for the London Underground, the Nottingham Express Transit System, the Luas Light Rail in Dublin and the Docklands Light Rail system in London.

His new role will involve advising on projects across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific Region, working closely with DLA Piper Asia. He is already leading a combined DLA Piper/DLA Phillips Fox international team (with lawyers from New Zealand, Australia, Spain, the US and the UK) advising the New Zealand Treasury's National Infrastructure Unit on potential PPP models for New Zealand.

DEACONS SNAPS UP FREEHILLS' OH&S GURU

BARRY SHERRIFF

TO: DEACONS

FROM: FREEHILLS

SPECIALTY: OH&S

Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) has been in the spotlight this year, largely as the result of the Government's efforts to harmonise OH&S law across the country.

So it was quite a coup for Deacons when, in November, it lured Barry Sherriff - one of the country's most high-profile OH&S lawyers and one of the three architects of the draft model Occupational Health and Safety Bill (OH&S bill) which was released for public comment in September - from Freehills. Based in the firm's Melbourne office, Sherriff has specialised in OH&S law for 15 years, authoring numerous books, including OHS in practice - A guide to Legislation in Victoria.

Given his instrumental role in developing the model OH&S bill, which will likely be rolled out across the country early next year, he's given the Deacons team a significant edge over its rivals in the OH&S field.

"Really, it's a pivotal time in [OH&S] in Australia," he told Lawyers Weekly last week. "With the new model laws being introduced and supported by new regulations, new codes of practice, and so forth, there are a lot of changes that businesses will have to make, but also opportunities to improve safety and be more effective in the way they manage safety.

"My role in that will be a continuation of the practical, strategic work I've done over many years in helping businesses to [implement changes based on the new laws] and, having drafted the model laws, I'm pretty well placed to do it."

Sherriff said that one of the attractions of Deacons was the opportunity to work with partner Michael Tooma. "What this has done is brought the two highest profile OH&S practitioners in the land together, and the opportunity for Michael and I to bounce ideas off each other and develop concepts and so forth really puts us in a good position to assist clients and to help the industry move forward."

Holding Redlich snaps up DLA Phillips Fox veteran

Earlier year, after 30 years at DLA Phillips Fox, construction specialist Chris Edquist closed the door on his office for the last time, jumping ship to Holding Redlich. Edquist became a partner at DLA Phillips Fox in 1983 and held various senior positions with the firm, culminating in the role of group leader for the national property, infrastructure and development practice.

Boasting 25 years' experience in the field, Edquist has acted on a range of major projects, including the $200 million Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Project, the MCG Northern Stand project, the National Gallery of Victoria redevelopment and the $300 million Federation Square project.

OH&S team jump ship from Freehills to Hall & Wilcox

Barry Sherriff wasn't the only high profile departee from Freehills' OH&S practice this year, with Hall & Wilcox announcing in

September that Penny Stevens (pictured) and her team would be joining its Melbourne office.

Stevens, a partner, was joined by special counsel Nicole Fauvrelle and lawyer Kim Grady, bringing the firm's employment and workplace relations team to a total of 16.

With 16 years' experience, Stevens has particular expertise in incident management which often sees her deployed onsite to assist clients as part of the firm's 24/7 on-call service offering.

Her clients primarily come from the manufacturing, mining, energy, transport and forestry sectors.

International arbitrator on board at Mallesons

Mallesons Stephen Jaques had a mammoth win when it recruited international arbitrator and former Hong Kong High Court justice Neil Kaplan to its Hong Kong office.

Kaplan, who has more than 40 years' dispute resolution experience, joined the firm as an international arbitration adviser effective from November. Kaplan's rather impressive CV includes practising as a barrister in London and Hong Kong (as Queen's Counsel), working as a government lawyer in Hong Kong and acting as the judge in charge of the construction and arbitration list of the Hong Kong High Court, and for the past 14 years he has practised solely as an international arbitrator.

He is currently a counsel member of the International Committee for Commercial Arbitration and the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration.

Middletons gains workplace relations team from Herbert Geer

Given the wide-reaching implications of the introduction of the Fair Work Act 2009, workplace relations was one practice that wasn't fazed by the economic downturn.

So it was to Middleton's delight when it successfully attracted former Herbert Geer partner Kathy Dalton (pictured) and her team - special counsel Michaela Moloney and senior associate Martin Alden - to the firm in Melbourne.

Dalton brought to Middletons 15 years' experience in the workplace relations field, specialising in areas including workplace agreements, dismissals, industrial disputes, performance and disciplinary management, discrimination and harassment, restructuring and policies and training.

Her clients hail from a diverse range of sectors.

Landers scoops practice heads from Minters and PwC

It was no small victory for Lander & Rogers when it managed to lure the head of Minter Ellison's construction, engineering and infrastructure practice - David Fabian (pictured) - to the firm.

Joining Landers as a senior partner in Sydney in October, Fabian is heading up its national projects, construction and infrastructure practice. His expertise includes negotiating and managing major projects, project administration and dispute management. He is also an experienced mediator.

It proved a lucrative month for Landers, also landing the former head of PricewaterhouseCoopers' employment and industrial relations group Neil Napper. Napper joined Landers as a partner in Melbourne, bringing with him more than 20 years of workplace law experience.

Corrs snaps up Macquarie financier

Corrs Chambers Westgarth added some serious weight to its major projects credentials when it recruited Rob Drake, aformer Macquarie Bank senior corporate finance infrastructure adviser, as a partner.

Drake, who had been with Macquarie for 10 years, was also previously a project partner of Baker & McKenzie for 18 years, working across Sydney, London and Singapore, as well as a finance lawyer at Clifford Chance in London.

He has extensive experience in originating transactions and leading team in green-field infrastructure projects, project financings and M&A transactions. He specialises in projects in the water and waste infrastructure, telecommunications, energy, transportation, resources and aged care industries.

Brian Ward & Partners appoints sporting heavyweights

In June, Brian Ward & Partners announced the appointment of two sporting heavyweights to the firm - Malcolm Speed and Campbell Johnston (pictured). Speed rejoined the firm, taking up the role of independent director, after a 15-year absence.

His career experience has included many years at the Victorian Bar before moving into senior management roles with the sporting industry, including CEO to Cricket Australia and CEO of the International Cricket Council. He was also a foundation member of the Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association.

Johnston joined the firm from AWB Limited where he was the executive counsel. He is also a former national chairman of Blake Dawson. He is a rowing enthusiast who won gold for Australia at the 1974 World Rowing Championships.