Law firm Pinsent Masons has announced plans to launch a practice in Australia that it claims will help support the reach of north-east firms working down under.
The firm will launch an infrastructure sector-focused practice in Melbourne and Sydney later this year.
The firm pointed to a number of Aberdeen-based oil and gas specialist firms that are engaged in the construction and commissioning of £36billion worth of LNG projects in north east Australia, which will result in Australia providing 8% of the world’s global LNG production.
Chairman Kirk Murdoch said: “Our extensive oil and gas expertise in Aberdeen and elsewhere, will dovetail seamlessly with experienced Australian lawyers who know their home patch inside out. This will be a powerful asset for Scottish firms already doing business in Australia and new entrants looking to carve out a slice of the market, in what the World Bank rank as one of the 10 easiest places to do business.
“While extremely important, Scottish exports extend far beyond oil and gas and we will be ready to assist operators in the food and drink, textiles, engineering, telecommunications sectors and professional services, who have identified opportunities in Australia.”
Australia is the 9th largest direct foreign investor in the UK and last year Australian oil and gas contractor Clough created 100 jobs when it opened an operations centre in Glasgow to serve North Sea and European clients.