DLA Phillips Fox is a New Zealand law firm with offices in Auckland and Wellington. It offers a full complement of corporate and commercial legal services to clients including local, national and international companies, as well as local, state and federal governments. Historically, the firm has been well known domestically and internationally for its long-standing insurance expertise, and its advice to and representation of insurance companies.

About DLA Phillips Fox

DLA Phillips Fox is a New Zealand firm with an Australasian history and a close alliance with DLA Piper. It has offices located in Auckland and Wellington.

DLA Phillips Fox is a member of the DLA Piper Group

DLA Piper

DLA Piper is a global law firm with 76 offices across 30 countries and more than 4,200 lawyers. As of May 2011, it was the largest law firm in the world by number of attorneys. The firm's global revenues were $1.92 billion in 2009-2010. The firm is composed of two partnerships, DLA Piper...

, an alliance of independent legal practices with exclusive agreements with DLA Piper. As part of the alliance, DLA Phillips Fox refers and receives legal work on an exclusive basis across the DLA Piper network.

Until 1 May 2011, DLA Phillips Fox offices were also located in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. On 1 May 2011, DLA Phillips Fox (Australia) became DLA Piper Australia.

Services offered

DLA Phillips Fox offers corporate and commercial legal expertise across more than 40 legal service areas: Banking and Finance, Corporate and Commercial, Energy (including Carbon Markets and Renewable Energy), Environment and Water, Franchising, Government, Health and Life Sciences, Tax, Infrastructure, Insolvency and Restructuring, Insurance and Risk Management, Intellectual Property, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Mergers and Acquisitions, Mining and Resources, Private Equity, Real Estate and Construction, Superannuation and Funds Management, Technology, Telecommunications, Transport, Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety.

History

DLA Phillips Fox traces its history back more than 140 years to when the firm was known as PD Phillips and operated only in the state of Victoria, Australia. Since then, the firm has grown to become one of the largest in Australasia.

• 1864 PD Phillips established a practice in Melbourne.
• 1884 Phillips Nicholson established in New Zealand.
• 1885 Smithers Warren Davenport Mant established in Sydney.
• 1888 Ross & McCarthy established in Adelaide.
• 1920s Seymour Nulty established in Brisbane.
• 1983 Lavan Solomon established in Perth.
• 1985 Phillips Fox & Masel, (previously known as PD Phillips), Smithers Warren Davenport Mant and Lavan Solomon form an association and agree to practise as a federation under the name Phillips Fox.
• 1990 Canberra office opens.
• 1991 Seymour Nulty in Brisbane joins Phillips Fox.
• 1992 Phillips Nicholson in New Zealand joins Phillips Fox, creating the first trans-Tasman law firm. Ross & McCarthy in Adelaide joins Phillips Fox.
• 1993 Hanoi office opens and the firm is the first in the world to be granted a licence to practise in Vietnam.
  Darvall McCutcheon merges with Phillips Fox in Melbourne. Darvall McCutcheon was itself the result of a merger in 1982 of Darvall & Hambleton and W B & O McCutcheon which had their origins in 1864 and 1888 respectively.
• 1997 Ho Chi Minh City office opens in Vietnam.
• 1999 Phillips Fox moves from being a federated group of offices to a fully integrated, corporately managed legal firm.
• 2006 On November 20, Phillips Fox enters into an exclusive alliance with DLA Piper, one of the largest legal services organisations in the world, and becomes a member of the global DLA Piper Group under the name DLA Phillips Fox.
• 2011 On May 1, DLA Phillips Fox (Australia) integrates with DLA Piper to become DLA Piper Australia. DLA Phillips Fox New Zealand remains an independent law firm closely allied to DLA Piper.

Notable alumni

• Susan Crennan
  Susan Crennan
  Susan Maree Crennan AC , is an Australian judge, a Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy.-Biography:...
  
  , Justice of the High Court of Australia (since 2005)
• James P. Gorman
  James P. Gorman
  James P. Gorman has been CEO of Morgan Stanley since 1 January 2010. He was formerly Co-President and Co-Head of Strategic Planning at the firm.- Business career :...
  
  , CEO of Morgan Stanley (effective 1 January 2010)
• Diana Bryant
  Diana Bryant
  Diana Bryant QC was appointed Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia on 5 July 2004.Bryant attended grammar school in Melbourne, at the Firbank Girls' School. Chief Justice Bryant holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Melbourne University, and a Master of Laws degree from Monash University....
  
  , Chief Justice of the Family Court (since July 2004)
• John Pascoe
  John Pascoe
  John Henry Pascoe, AO, CVO is Chief Federal Magistrate of Australia and Deputy Chancellor of the University of New South Wales. Previous positions he has held have included Chairman and CEO of George Weston Foods, Chairman of Centrelink, Deputy Chairman of Aristocrat Leisure Limited and Managing...
  
  , Chief federal magistrate (appointed 2004)
• Chris Maxwell
  Chris Maxwell
  Chris Maxwell BA , LLB , BPhil , QC is an Australian jurist.Maxwell has been President of the Victorian Court of Appeal since 16 July 2005, succeeding Justice John Winneke....
  
  , President of the Court of Appeal in Victoria (appointed July 2005)
• Sir Edward Woodward, former Federal Court judge
• Pamela Tate
  Pamela Tate
  Pamela Tate SC was the Solicitor-General of Victoria, Australia. In 2003, she became the first woman to be appointed to the position. The Solicitor-General is the second highest law officer of state in Victoria, behind the Attorney-General...
  
  , Solicitor General, Victoria (appointed July 2003
• Graeme Samuel
  Graeme Samuel
  Graeme Julian Samuel AC is an Australian businessman. He is currently works as chairman of the Melbourne office of investment bank Greenhill Caliburn, and is a member of the Australian National University Council...
  
  , ACCC Chairman (appointed in July 2003)

External links

• Official site
• DLA Phillips Fox and DLA Piper named International Tax Firm of the Year
• Lawyers Weekly article on the DLA alliance
• Article about a recent global survey into capital markets released by DLA Phillips Fox
• Lawyers Weekly article on new chairperson
• The Australian article about a young female making partner at DLA Phillips Fox