A DLA Phillips Fox spokesperson has confirmed with Lawyers Weekly that the nine Brisbane-based partners voted against the integration with DLA Piper and will leave the firm prior to the official merger on 1 May.

The firm released a statement saying that more than 90 per cent of its partners voted in favour of integration but that a handful of partner did not wish to join a global law firm.

"We respect their decisions and they will leave as friends of the firm. We wish them well in their future plans," the statement read.

Thomsons Lawyers chief executive partner Adrian Tembel said the new Brisbane office, to open later this fiscal year, will assist the firm in achieving its $100 million revenue goal.

"My partners and I signed-off on a three-year strategic plan late last year. Our expansion into Brisbane will achieve a number of our key financial and geographic objectives," he said.

The poached Phillips Fox partners cover a wide area that includes finance, construction, corporate, insolvency, IP and IT, property planning and projects as well as taxation.

The nine appointments brings the Thomson partnership to 56 across four offices.

The partners leaving the firm include:

* Tony Conaghan, Intellectual Property & Technology

* Philip Byrnes, Corporate

* James Daniel, Corporate

* Andrew Kelly, Finance & Projects

* Ron Eames, Real Estate

* Michael Marshall, Real Estate

* Chris O'Shea, Real Estate

* Philip Dowling, Corporate

* Eugene Fung, Corporate