Morning Briefing: Big Four firm continues lateral hire crusade

Major law firm bolsters team to help drive its M&A capability... More law firms launch ‘drone’ practices… Simmons & Simmons hires Edwards Wildman Palmer’s HK managing partner… Malaysian lawyers build relationships…

Big Four firm continues lateral hire crusade
PwC Australia has appointed Natalie Kurdian as a partner in legal services, adding key talent to drive its Australia’s M&A capability. The Big Four firm grabbed Kurdian from multinational law firm, King & Wood Mallesons. The new partner plans to continue to practice with a focus on cross order and domestic private and public M&A and transactional funds work, particularly in the real estate and infrastructure sectors across Australia and Asia. Kurdian’s appointment is just one of the latest developments in PwC Australia’s strategy to spearhead the firm's growth agenda in premium corporate advisory legal services.

More law firms launch ‘drone’ practices 
The use of drones or ‘unmanned aircraft systems’ is set to intensify and more law firms are creating dedicated practices to handle the compliance and potential litigation that may arise from their use. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel led the way late last year and has been joined in the past 12 months by around half a dozen others including Hogan Lovells.
 
Simmons & Simmons hires Edwards Wildman Palmer’s HK managing partner
Martin Lister is joining the international insurance group of Simmons & Simmons having been managing partner of Edwards Wildman Palmer’s Hong Kong office. Edwards Wildman is expected to merge with Locke Lord.

Malaysian lawyers build relationships 
With the recent changes to the Malaysian legal services market, the country’s lawyers are looking to build relationships with foreign counterparts. The Malaysian Bar Council is holding a networking event next week in London in co-operation with the Law Society of England & Wales. One of the purposes of the three-day event is to meet with those that may be interested in partnerships with Malaysian law firms.

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