K&L Gates Continues Strong Growth in Corporate Practice With Appointment of Team of Sydney Lawyers

Sydney – Global law firm K&L Gates has appointed Naomi Philp as a partner in the Corporate practice team in Sydney, continuing a recent run of partner hires and promotions within the Corporate and Asset Management and Investment Funds teams both in Australia and globally.

Philp joins K&L Gates from HWL Ebsworth, reuniting her with former colleagues James Lonie, Natalya Hards and Lisa Lautier, who moved to K&L Gates in December.

Joining Philp will be lawyers Ariane Demetriou, Emily Hood and Dhivya Kalyanakumar, and graduate Alex Lalor.

Philp advises on public and private mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets transactions, securities laws and investment funds. In the mergers and acquisitions space, she advises clients on regulated takeover bids and schemes and private business acquisitions and divestments. 

In addition to advising on equity capital markets matters, including placements, entitlement issues, share purchase plans and initial public offerings, Philp also works with clients on compliance with ASX Listing Rules, securities and trust laws, and fund structuring and establishment. 

As well as the lateral appointments, K&L Gates recently announced the promotion of two Australian partners to the Corporate practice team effective 1 January. Simon Leslie (Sydney) and Marian Ngo (Melbourne) were two of five Australian partners promoted, along with Damiano Castelli (Real Estate, Brisbane), Alanna Fitzpatrick (Labour, Employment and Workplace Safety, Brisbane) and Gregory Pieris (Intellectual Property, Melbourne).

As a result of the appointments, the K&L Gates Corporate and Asset Management and Investment Funds teams in Australia have grown to 25 partners. "

Corporate Practice Area Leader Chris Nikou said: "The hiring of Naomi and her team to our Corporate practice is a significant addition of experience and depth that will continue to allow us to provide a high level of client service in key areas of importance to our clients. With five new Corporate partners over the past two months, we are demonstrating the ambitions we have for our clients and for the continuing growth of the practice."

K&L Gates' Managing Partner, Australia, Nick Nichola, said: "We are very pleased to welcome Naomi and her team to K&L Gates. The addition of nine new partners across the firm over the past few weeks is a significant step towards our goal of growing K&L Gates in the Australian market, with a seamless link into the firm's global platform that spans five continents. Our latest appointments are in areas of high client demand and we will continue to seek opportunities to deepen our Australian offering to clients."

These hires also continue the recent rapid growth of K&L Gates and its Corporate and Asset Management and Investment Funds practices globally. In addition to the promotion of 40 lawyers across 22 offices to partnership at the start of the year, the firm also has announced in recent weeks the opening of an office in Dublin, Ireland - the firm's 48th office - led by three Asset Management and Investment Funds partners and the addition of a seven-partner team to the Corporate team in the United States following the 2022 arrivals of other corporate and private equity partners in Milan, Orange County, Raleigh, Hong Kong, Charleston, and Luxembourg.