‘It’s a win-win’: Local law firm acquired
A South Australian law firm has been acquired by an interstate company, in a deal that’s been described as a “win-win”.
South Australian law firm O’Loughlins has been acquired by a Melbourne-based company, in a deal that’s been described as a “win-win”.
Victoria’s Macpherson Kelley, a commercial law firm working across a broad spectrum of practice areas, made the purchase which will see all four partners of the Adelaide firm welcomed into the merged firm’s fold.
It gives Macpherson Kelley a foothold in Adelaide, adding to its growing national presence across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Dandenong.
For O’Loughlins, the deal means their clients will now have access to national capabilities and experts in practice areas they could not otherwise service.
Macpherson Kelley will retain its name but the Adelaide firm will go by Macpherson Kelley O’Loughlins.
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In addition to the four O’Loughlins partners – Hamish Archibald, Josh Abbott, Kym Ryder and Rebecca Barr – all existing lawyers, support and service staff will be folded into the broader firm.
The Adelaide office – known as a leader in health, aged care and retirement living – will continue to provide property, corporate and commercial, litigation, insolvency, employment and private client services to South Australian clients.
Macpherson Kelley national managing partner Grant Guenther said the cultural alignment between the two firms would ensure a seamless transition.
“In addition to providing great advice and service to an impressive bundle of clients, the leadership team at O’Loughlins has worked hard to foster a uniquely positive and collaborative workplace culture,” he said.
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“It’s something we actively seek out when vetting growth opportunities because we know it produces good thinking and great results for our clients.”
Guenther said it the agreement was a “win-win”.
“We benefit from being able to support our clients with their business activities in South Australia and expand our national capability in an important industry sector,” Guenther said.
“Our new clients from Adelaide will continue to get great service from their existing trusted advisors, as well as access to more specialist capability to assist with complex challenges.”
O’Loughlins will officially join Macpherson Kelley on 1 September, which Archibald said would be a “huge opportunity” for clients.
“We’ve had the pleasure of helping some South Australian clients do really exciting things with their businesses, but having access to a national team will mean we can offer clients so much more,” Archibald said.
“Macpherson Kelley’s appetite for cross-border and cross-team collaboration will mean we’ll be able to take our offering to the next level while maintaining client service excellence and continuity of care.”
