Media release | Gadens to enter Canberra following recent east coast consolidation

Gadens has agreed to merge with leading Canberra law firm Trinity Law, which will give the national firm a 7 partner and 30 person presence in an important jurisdiction, expanding the firm’s overall geographical footprint for the benefit of its clients.

With already strong representation of the corporate sector in the ACT, Gadens will now capitalise on its existing work with various government departments and agencies and seek to grow the team supporting Federal Government workflows in Canberra.

“Building on the skills and expertise of Trinity’s 7 partners and over 30 staff, this merger will support the growth aspirations of our firm as well as provide us with the base from which we can enhance our government-sector offering at both the federal and territory level in Australia’s capital city, enhance our focus on the defence sector and allow us to continue our support for Canberra’s vibrant business community”, says Mark Pistilli, the CEO and Managing Partner of Gadens.

“Trinity has been a consistent feature of the Canberra legal market for nearly 20 years. It is a highly regarded and multi-faceted, specialised legal practice which is focussed on the people and businesses of the ACT and with deep roots in the Canberra community, with values aligned to those of our firm.”

John Irvine, the Managing Principal of Trinity Law added “This is a natural development for our firm and our lawyers. We can now support our clients as they do business across the whole of the country, and work closely with existing Gadens teams doing work in Canberra. Our people will also be part of an exciting and ambitious firm that puts them at the centre of everything it does and is going places”.

This latest merger announcement follows the recent merger of all of the Gadens offices across the Country, which became part of the same national firm on 1 July 2024.

The Gadens fully integrated national firm currently comprises 99 partners, more than 350 lawyers, and over 600 total staff. The merger with Trinity Law will add to those numbers.

Gadens will operate across the whole of the Country from offices physically located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. Gadens remains associated with leading independent law firm Lavan in Perth.

Gadens is a top 10 law firm by size in Australia, but more importantly it is one of the largest independent Australian law firms – where Australian business, Australian people, Australian policies and Australian communities are at the centre of what matters to the firm and what it supports.

Jeremy Smith, Chair of Gadens, says “This is a very exciting time for Gadens, and possibly the most significant time in a history which can be traced back 177 years for some of our previous member firms. We are creating a modern Australian law firm which aims to help its people become the best versions of themselves, in and out of work, and also exists to support and provide comfort to its clients and other important communities. We want to be recognised as a leading Australian law firm, and these recent mergers provide the foundation for us to achieve that vision.”

Gadens remains one of the fastest growing firms in Australia. Aside from these recent mergers, in the last six months since January 2024, Gadens has appointed 11 new partners – a mix of internal appointments and lateral partners with heritage in leading firms like Allens, Ashurst, Clayton Utz, Clifford Chance and Minter Ellison – across all practice areas within the firm.

The new partners are:

• Adrian Clifford – Real Estate and Construction, Construction
• Amanda Junkeer – Workplace Advisory and Disputes
• Amber Agustin – Disputes and Litigation, Tax Controversy
• David O’Farrell – Banking and Finance, Restructuring and Insolvency
• Jane Kupsch – Disputes and Litigation, Commercial Disputes
• Marina Olsen – Intellectual Property and Technology, Intellectual Property
• Mark Pistilli – Managing Partner, Corporate
• Michael Harty – Disputes and Litigation, Commercial Disputes
• Michael Joyce – Corporate, Energy and Resources
• Patrick Holland – Real Estate and Construction, Planning and Environment
• William Marshall – Workplace Advisory and Disputes

Following the merger with Trinity Law, Gadens will have 106 partners – cracking the ton in a single Gadens firm for the first time in a history which goes back 177 years.