The founding partners of Hogan Lovells' Australian offices, husband-and-wife team Tim and Nicky Lester, have left to launch a corporate advisory firm.

The Lesters joined the transatlantic firm from Australia's Allens in 2015 to launch its offices in Sydney and Perth. After both offices opened, Tim led the Australia corporate finance practice from Perth while Nicky headed up the Australia banking and finance practice from Sydney.

Tim and Nicky Lester also served as Australia co-managing partners until the beginning of 2018, when Sydney-based restructuring and litigation lawyer Scott Harris took over as managing partner of the Australia practice.

The Lesters have established a corporate advisory firm, Jameson Boyce Partners Pty Ltd, which has offices in Sydney, Perth and Tokyo and provides strategic advisory, transaction consulting and legal counsel services targeting cross-border investment opportunities.

"Having practised at the leading edge of the corporate and finance world for over 25 years, we wanted to do more than just provide legal advice to clients," Tim Lester said. "We were keen to share the expertise, the knowledge, the connections and, if you like, the street smarts, gained over such a long period, and roll that into a more rounded offering."

Tim Lester focuses on corporate transactions, corporate finance and structured finance in the energy and resources and infrastructure sectors. At Allens, he was a partner for seven years and led the firm's Japan sector team. He did an earlier stint at Hogan Lovells from 1995 to 2008, where he made partner in 2001 and was the Tokyo office managing partner before relocating to Australia in 2008.

Nicky Lester specialises in securitisation and debt capital markets transactions in the real estate sector. Before joining Hogan Lovells, she practised at Allens from 2001 to 2015 and made partner in 2004. There, she headed the banking and finance practice. Earlier in her career, she practiced at Clayton Utz, joining in 1997 and leaving in 2001.

Hogan Lovells currently has five partners in Sydney and two partners in Perth. The firm recently recruited corporate partners David Holland and Charles Bogle from Baker McKenzie and Gilbert + Tobin, respectively, both in Sydney; Holland previously headed Baker McKenzie's Asia-Pacific capital markets practice.

"We thank Tim Lester and Nicky Lester for their contributions and wish them all the best in their new roles," Australia managing partner Scott Harris said in a statement. A spokesperson for Hogan Lovells added that the firm's Australia practice is still in growth mode.

Hogan Lovells' regional head for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Miguel Zaldivar, told Law.com's The Asian Lawyer last year that Australia is a top priority for him and is due for growth after years of stability since 2015.

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