Baker & McKenzie has made two internal partner promotions, and one lateral partner appointment, within its Australian offices.

Eric Boone, a US securities lawyer in the firm's corporate markets practice, and Paul Forbes, a dispute resolution lawyer, were promoted as partners in Sydney. Roy Weitzman, a former partner in the banking and finance group at Corrs Chambers Westgarth joined the firm's major projects group in Melbourne.

All appointments were effective as of 1 July 2011.

Weitzman said he hopes to bring some of his clients across from Corrs to Bakers.

“I thought Bakers was the best possible option for me as I want the ability to take my business offshore into other markets where I think there are opportunities for social infrastructure, PPP and project financing,” he said.

“I would like to do a lot of energy work, of which there is lot of expertise around at Bakers.”

The basis of Weitzman’s work in his new position will remain the same as it was at Corrs - government and private interface in the project sphere.

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“I expect to do a fair bit of travelling, starting with the other Australian offices and then international offices and I’m thinking about projects in Singapore and Middle East,” he said.

The Australian partner announcements coincide with the firm's appointment of 21 new partners across the Asia-Pacific, bringing the total number of partners in Bakers' 14 offices in the region to 342.

The 21 new partner appointments span a range of transactional practices including banking & finance, corporate, mergers & acquisitions and securities.

The firm also appointed of two new Australian special counsel, Philippa Murphy in the dispute resolution practice and Anne Petterd in technology, communications and commercial, along with nine new senior associates across the firm's Sydney and Melbourne offices.

"Our newly elected partners are leaders who have demonstrated deep knowledge and expertise in their local markets. The new appointments, along with our strategic hires in the last 12 months reflects our commitment to providing a merit-based work environment where talented lawyers can thrive ... and our commitment to delivering integrated, commercial legal advice that our clients expect from the premier global law firm," said Jeremy Pitts, Bakers' Asia Pacific regional chairman.