Melbourne, Australia

DWF, the Manchester-based firm that is preparing to go public, is continuing its expansion in Australia, merging with a Melbourne-based boutique and recruiting in Sydney.

WARD Lawyers, a 23-member boutique specialising in corporate advisory, financial services and real estate, joins DWF. WARD is led by managing director Philip Gleed and includes director Scott Stewart and five principal lawyers (equivalent to partner): Mary Nemeth, Susan Phillips, Joe Katz, Chantal Reigo and Dennis Batur. Gleed joins DWF as executive head of the Melbourne office and Stewart as Australia head of planning and environment.

"[The merger] further establishes DWF as a force in the Australian market, where we are growing at pace and attracting quality people who share our desire to do things differently," said Mark Hickey, DWF's Sydney-based Asia-Pacific chairman, in a statement.

In Sydney, DWF recruited three principal lawyers since January: construction and infrastructure lawyers Brent Henderson and Goran Gelic, from local firms Sparke Helmore Lawyers and McCullough Robertson, respectively; and workplace relations specialist Sina Zevari, who joined from Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors, a subsidiary of NSW Business Chamber, a business association in the region.

With the additions in Melbourne and Sydney, DWF has 26 principal lawyers and more than 60 other fee-earners in Australia. The U.K. firm also has offices in Brisbane and Newcastle.

Earlier this week, DWF also acquired Australian loss adjuster FT Adjusting, which specialises in insurance claims related to construction and engineering. FT Adjusting's team of 10 in Sydney and Melbourne, led by director Ian McWalter, joins DWF's own loss adjusting business, DWF Adjusting. DWF Adjusting is part of Connected Services, a standalone business that offers non-legal services including technology consulting, forensic accountancy and contract lawyers.

"While bespoke legal counsel remains key to clients' commercial success, clients also now require complementary services to solve wider business challenges," said Jason Ford, head of Connected Services, in a statement.

DWF has been expanding around the world in recent months ahead of an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange this year. DWF has recently recruited in Singapore, London and Milan, opened offices in Newcastle in Australia and Doha in Qatar, and entered into an exclusive association with Los Angeles-based Wood Smith Henning & Berman.

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