Dentons Continues Global Expansion With New Zealand Merger
The pending combination with Kensington Swan will add 113 lawyers and offices in Wellington and Auckland to the global legal giant.
July 31, 2019 at 12:55 AM
3 minute read
Dentons has announced that it will merge with a leading New Zealand law firm as it continues its global expansion.
The proposal to merge with 113-lawyer Kensington Swan will set Dentons up in both Wellington and Auckland and make it the largest global law firm in New Zealand from the outset, the firm said. Dentons said it already has more than 10,000 lawyers globally.
Kensington Swan is a full-service commercial law firm and is strong in financial markets, infrastructure and government practices. It also specializes in the environment, education, fast-moving consumer goods, manufacturing, health care and energy sectors, according to a statement from Dentons.
“Clients have explicitly identified the New Zealand market as a priority and this combination would see the firms able to meet client needs in New Zealand and around the globe”, said Elliott Portnoy, the Washington, D.C.-based global chief executive officer of Dentons, in a statement.
“Combining with a leading law firm like Kensington Swan in New Zealand will continue Dentons' momentum in Australasia, enabling Dentons to, once again, maintain and improve its quality even as it grows”.
The two firms will officially combine in the next several months, following the partners' vote and regulatory approvals.
Dentons first expanded into the region in 2016 by taking Australian firm Gadens' offices in Sydney, Perth and Port Moresby. The firm said that along with its existing offices in Australia and Papua New Guinea, the New Zealand combination “strengthens the foundation for Dentons to become the dominant global law firm in Australasia”.
“With Australia and New Zealand being such close economies, the combination with a leading law firm like Kensington Swan would enable greater coordination across the region for the benefit of clients”, said Doug Stipanicev, Dentons' Perth-based Australia chairman and chief executive officer.
The two countries have had a free-trade agreement in place since 1983 and Australia is New Zealand's second-largest export market after China.
“The combination with Dentons will mean that Kensington Swan is the New Zealand law firm with the greatest access to top-tier legal talent, and in the most locations, worldwide”, said David Campbell, the Auckland-based board chairman of Kensington Swan.
Global law firms have only a limited presence in New Zealand. DLA Piper has offices in Auckland and Wellington, and MinterEllisonRuddWatts, an affiliate to the Australian firm, also operates in both cities.
So far this year, Dentons has announced combinations in Zimbabwe, Chile and Venezuela.
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