Norton Rose has bulked up its Australia presence with the addition of four new partners.

The partner hires, which are split between Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, come after the firm's merger with Australian firm Deacons went live at the start of this year.

The firm's Sydney office has gained two new partners for its banking and restructuring team with the addition of Petar Kuessner and Gerard Breen, who have joined from Mallesons Stephen Jacques and Dibbs Barker Gosling respectively. Kuessner was a senior associate at Mallesons, while Breen was a partner at his former firm.

Meanwhile Robert Milbourne has joined the energy and resources team in Brisbane from Vale Pty  – a subsidiary of Brazilian mining company Vale – where he served as general counsel and company secretary.

The final hire sees Derek La Ferla join the corporate finance team in Perth as a partner after retiring from Deacons in 2007.

Norton Rose Australia managing partner Don Boyd (pictured) said: "Western Australia has a significant strategic value to Norton Rose that extends beyond its booming resources industry. Perth itself has strong links with key markets in Southeast Asia and particularly Singapore."

News of the hires comes in the same week that the firm announced it was also gaining a partner in Singapore. Anna Tipping, previously a counsel with Linklaters in London, has joined Norton Rose as a partner and is set to head up the firm's Singapore insurance team.

She will spend around six months in London before relocating to Singapore, where she will be the firm's first insurance partner in the region.