Brisbane, Australia. (Photo: Maythee Voran/Shutterstock.com)

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has hired a construction and engineering partner for its Brisbane office, as infrastructure projects proliferate in Australia.

Laura Walton joined the firm from local firm Clayton Utz, where she was a special counsel in its Brisbane major projects team.

Walton has broad experience acting for public and private sector clients on construction projects across the energy, infrastructure, mining, transport and real estate sectors, Norton Rose Fulbright said in a statement. She provides clients with strategic advice during project delivery and post-completion, including on contract administration, claims and claims preparation, dispute avoidance and minimisation strategies, and dispute resolution.

"Major projects, particularly those involving transport, have proliferated in Australia in recent years. In this time, our strong national construction and engineering team has assisted corporate and government clients around the country, but we foresee increasing demand for advice relating to Queensland projects in particular in the near future," said Wayne Spanner, Norton Rose Fulbright's managing partner in Australia.

"Adding a partner with Laura's skills, expertise and standing in the Queensland market will greatly assist our clients in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. We look forward to further announcements about our construction and engineering team soon."

Walton, who spent nearly five years at Norton Rose Fulbright before joining Clayton Utz in March 2016, said in a statement she was pleased to be returning to the firm. "Rejoining a global law firm, with a strong presence and talented teams across Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and throughout the world, will provide the perfect platform to support my clients with domestic and cross-border disputes advice," she said.

Infrastructure projects in Australia are booming as governments on Australia's east coast invest in road and rail to accommodate growing city populations. Deloitte Access Economics, which specialises in advisory work and forecasting economic activity, expects major project activity to reach a peak of about A$22 billion (US$15 billion) in 2022, according to a report released in August.

Clayton Utz said it wished Walton well.