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Ironbridge Legal expands to Melbourne, launches Asia desk
Award-nominated boutique law firm Ironbridge Legal has launched an office in the Victorian capital, as well as started an Asia desk, as part of its ongoing expansion.
Jerome Doraisamy
Four years ago, Trevor Withane started boutique litigation and insolvency firm Ironbridge Legal in Sydney. Now, he has expanded the firm’s footprint to the nation’s second-largest city, opening an office in the Melbourne CBD.
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In a statement, the firm said that it made the decision to open in Melbourne due to client demand both in Victoria and overseas.
“Coincidently, the opportunity to launch in Melbourne complemented the firm’s plan to expand but to do so without diluting its ‘truly specialist’ identity by adding new practice areas,” it said.
For Mr Withane, it remains important to maintain “a genuine deep specialism”, so as to “win high-quality work locally and overseas, as well as [be] a credible partner for referral work from top-tier firms, while simultaneously not being seen as a threat”.
Mr Withane will lead the Melbourne office, splitting his time between that new location and the firm’s founding office in Sydney.
He will be supported by Alice Rolph, an associate who has joined the firm from Norling Law Limited.
She was, the firm noted, “instrumental” in Ironbridge’s efforts to establish itself in the Melbourne market.
Also assisting the firm’s Melbourne presence will be graduate-at-law Radith Khan, who has joined the firm from Marsdens Law Group. Mr Khan will also work with the firm’s Sydney office.
On the recruitment front, Mr Withane said that “at a time of increased competition for the most talented and well-rounded litigation and insolvency lawyers, having meaningful access to the pool of candidates in Melbourne was also part of a strategic human resource consideration”.
“Our Melbourne team works on Sydney-based matters and vice-versa. This has been facilitated by our previous and ongoing investment in technology, and working across borders has kept our small team feeling connected and integrated,” he detailed.
Elsewhere, Ironbridge has moved to establish an Asia desk within the firm, considering it is increasingly advising in cross-border disputes, insolvency matters, and restructuring involving Asian and or Asia-based counterparties. This has also been done to accommodate the needs of its Asian clients, particularly Chinese and Singaporean parties.
Vivian He, graduate-at-law, has been hired for the firm’s Asia desk.
Speaking about her new role, Ms He said: “Growing up in mainland China gave me a deep awareness of the cultural and business practices of clients based in China, as well as the political, legal and regulatory regimes affecting such clients.”
“I hope this understanding will enhance the firm’s offering.”
