Big Four's KPMG Nabs Herbert Smith Freehills Partner, Launches Government Practice in Australia
KPMG Law has hired technology, media and communications specialist Damien Bailey as a partner in Sydney and has launched a national government practice in Canberra.
March 01, 2019 at 11:51 AM
3 minute read
By John Kang
KPMG offices in Washington, D.C. Photo by Diego Radzinschi/ALM
Big Four accounting firm KPMG has expanded its legal advisory arm in Australia with hires in its technology and government practices.
Damien Bailey will join KPMG Law as a partner in Sydney from Herbert Smith Freehills. His practice focuses on data, digital, technology and telecommunications, including infrastructure rollouts, technology transformation projects, systems integration, outsourcing and cloud arrangements, and new technologies. Bailey will join in the coming months, but a start date is yet to be confirmed.
Bailey joined legacy Freehills in 2011 as a partner and stayed through the merger with Herbert Smith the next year. Previously, he was a Hong Kong partner and led the Asia technology practice at Simmons & Simmons and was an associate at MinterEllison.
KPMG Law also launched a national government practice in its Canberra office. The new practice is led by Philip Jones-Hope, who joined KPMG Australia as a director last November and specializes in government projects, commercial advisory, and legislative and regulatory reform.
Previously, Jones-Hope was with the government body Australian Maritime Safety Authority for seven years, most recently as principal adviser.
In December, KPMG Law recruited Zein El Hassan as a partner in Sydney from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he led the firm's Australia financial services risk advisory team.
The recent hires “reflect our clear strategic focus on growth in the key, rapidly changing and interconnected areas of financial services regulation and reform, data, digital and technology, and government,” KPMG Asia Pacific legal services leader Stuart Fuller said in a statement.
With the addition of Bailey, KPMG Law has 20 partners across four Australian offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.
Globally, the accounting giant has more than 2,300 legal professionals in 76 jurisdictions, including Hong Kong. KPMG is also planning to launch a 25-lawyer firm in Shanghai later this year. Law.com U.K. affiliate Legal Week reported in November that KPMG is aiming to expand its legal services arm to more than 3,000 lawyers in the next few years.
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Big Four's KPMG Expands Australia Legal Team With Financial Services Partner
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