International law firm Bird & Bird has appointed Corporate expert Chris Clarke as partner in Sydney. He joined the firm along with Aaron Chan (Special Counsel) and Carl Ritchie (Associate) on 3 July 2023. Chris’ appointment is the third lateral partner hire announced by the Australian office of the firm in the last month.
Chris has over 20 years of experience as a Corporate practitioner and specialises in mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets, corporate advisory and securities law. In terms of M&A, he has broad experience in both public and private transactions, advising clients in the technology and financial services sectors in particular. In equity capital markets, Chris’ practice covers various fundraising activities including IPOs, placements and rights issues of companies listed on the ASX as well as private capital fundraisings and various other corporate actions. Chris joins Bird & Bird from Watson Mangioni, where he was head of the Corporate & Commercial teams since 2017.
Following the recent appointment of partners, Tim Macmillan (Finance & Financial Regulation) and Brianna Quinn (Media, Entertainment and Sport), Chris’ arrival is a part of Bird & Bird’s current expansion in the Australian market, led by client demand. Chris’ appointment will add bandwidth to the firm’s busy M&A and corporate regulatory practices. He will also work on high profile, multi-jurisdictional matters as part of his practice, assisting the London Corporate team in particular, as well as the rest of the firm’s international network.
Alberto Salvadè and Matt Bonass, co-heads of Bird & Bird’s international Corporate practice, say: “The Sydney team is playing a key role in our international Corporate transactions, so we are thrilled to have Chris and his team, with a vast amount of global experience, join our practice. Chris’ extensive expertise in M&A, ECM and corporate advisory law will allow us to continue to help our clients navigate complex transactions, particularly in the finance and technology industries.”
Shane Barber, head of Bird & Bird in Australia, says: “I am excited to have Chris and his team join the Sydney office at Bird & Bird. We are very focused on growing the team in Sydney and expanding our client offering with excellent practitioners across a range of areas of law. Chris’ practice covers two main areas, M&A and ECM, which are seeing unprecedented growth and I am very enthusiastic about the growing capabilities of our Corporate team to meet the needs of our clients. This is our third partner appointment in Sydney in the last month. Our growth in Australia is being driven by significant client demand in the key sector areas served by the firm.”
Chris himself adds: “I’m thrilled to join the team at Bird & Bird. I am particularly interested in growing my existing focus on technology transactions, especially in the field of deep technology, and working with clients on both domestic and international corporate matters. It is a very exciting opportunity to work with Bird & Bird’s robust international network of clients, bolstering my multijurisdictional expertise and contributing to the existing Australian Corporate practice to continue to provide first-class advice.”
