Mr Bampton was formerly a construction partner and board member at Henry Davis York, which combined with global firm Norton Rose Fulbright on 1 December.

Mr Bampton was among a group understood not to have signed the new partnership agreement, but his new firm was not confirmed until Wednesday.

Former HDY corporate and M&A head Robert Tracy, restructuring and insolvency partner Kathy Merrick and corporate and commercial partner Ted Nixey have also joined Gadens.

Gadens chief executive Grant Scott-Hayward welcomed Mr Bampton to the firm.

“It gives us great pleasure to welcome Michael to Gadens,” the CEO said.

“He is a very well-regarded and highly respected practitioner with market-leading expertise specialising in all aspects of construction and infrastructure projects. Also recognised as a leading dispute resolution lawyer, Michael is a trusted adviser to his clients, which include government and public-sector entities, financial institutions, developers and major contractors.”

Mr Bampton said that he is looking forward to working with the Gadens team.

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“Gadens’ property, construction and planning group has a market-leading reputation across Australia, and the group’s profile certainly complements my experience and expertise,” Mr Bampton said.

“The team has worked on some of the largest transactions in the property and construction sector in Australia. Over the years, my experience and thinking differently has allowed me to provide commercial solutions for clients when it absolutely matters, and I am really looking forward to working with the formidable team at Gadens to deliver outstanding value for our clients.”

The Gadens Sydney office is an expansion of the firm’s Melbourne practice, which declined to merge with global firm Dentons last year.

Mr Scott-Hayward said that Mr Bampton’s appointment would help Gadens grow its Sydney presence.