Jones Day to Open New Office in Perth as Part of Australia Expansion, Welcomes Stephen McComish as New Partner

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The global law firm Jones Day has announced that it will open an office in Perth, the mining and energy center of Australia, in April of this year. The Perth Office will initially focus on projects and project-related disputes, with an emphasis in the energy sector. The Perth Office will be Jones Day's second office in Australia and its 41st worldwide. Jones Day's Sydney Office opened in 1998 and now has more than 40 lawyers who practice in a variety of transactional and dispute-related matters.

Steve Brogan, Jones Day's Managing Partner, said: "Jones Day continues to believe in the growing importance of Australia to the advancement of the global economy. In the next decade, Western Australia in particular will play a critical role in supplying the energy and other commodity needs of Asia. If economic advancement is to benefit the largest number of people in Asia, then access to Australia's resources will be essential. The sheer size and complexity of current and anticipated projects will require lawyers who can anticipate and protect against the inevitable risks and be able to protect clients when unfortunate disputes occur."

When Jones Day opens in Perth, Stephen McComish, a lawyer with 20 years experience in construction, engineering, mining, and oil and gas litigation, will join as partner. He was previously a partner at Allens Linklaters since 2004. Having litigated in a wide range of commercial disputes, alternative dispute resolution, contract negotiation, and international arbitration matters, the Perth-born and educated Mr. McComish is a well-known projects litigator in Perth. He'll join a firm with substantial experience in some of the most prominent and complex projects, vigorously representing clients in dispute resolution proceedings in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Latin America.

"We are delighted to welcome a litigation partner of Stephen's caliber to our current team of 13 partners in Australia," said Chris Ahern, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day's Sydney Office. "Opening in Perth allows us to better serve clients in the new phase of development of the state's resources industry, and Stephen's vast experience with a range of both local and international clients, gives us added depth in litigation and contractual matters related to these complex projects. Being part of a single partnership that is one of the largest law firms in the United States provides us with a depth of knowledge and experience acting on disputes in the projects and energy sectors."

Having established an office in Australia 16 years ago, Jones Day provides a wide range of services for clients, including in litigation, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, intellectual property, and restructuring and insolvency. On the heels of recent additions John Emmerig from Ashurst and John Cooper from Allens, Mr. McComish's appointment lifts Jones Day's litigation team to six partners.

Jones Day is a global law firm with 40 offices in major centers of business and finance throughout the world. Its unique governance system fosters an unparalleled level of integration and contributes to its perennial ranking as among the best in the world in client service. Jones Day provides significant legal representation for almost half of the Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, and FT Global 500.

SOURCE Jones Day