Norton Rose Fulbright adds two more corporate M&A partners in Perth to expand energy and resources practice

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright announced today that another two partners – Jessica Davies and David Jewkes – are joining its Perth office in the corporate M&A team to expand its growing energy and resources practice.

The appointments follow the addition of Paul Lingard (formerly Clifford Chance) and Miriam D’Souza (formerly Herbert Smith Freehills) last year. Mr Lingard is now the firm’s co-head of the energy industry group for Asia Pacific.

Jessica Davies

Jessica Davies is an accomplished corporate lawyer, and the inaugural winner of AMPLA’s Excellence Award for an Australian lawyer demonstrating achievement and international expertise in energy and resources law.

She has extensive experience in the oil and gas and mining sectors worldwide, advising companies and governments on corporate transactions and major projects. Her work focuses on acquisitions, disposals, new projects, joint ventures, supply, transport, infrastructure and operational arrangements. She is also widely published on leading edge industry topics such as tactics to negotiate better outcomes in production sharing contracts, and mitigating sovereign risk in mining projects.

Ms Davies joins from international law firm Clifford Chance, where she has most recently been based in its Perth office. She is admitted to practise in both Australia and New York, and has spent many years working across Australia, the US, Asia, Europe and Africa.

David Jewkes

David Jewkes returns to Norton Rose Fulbright in early March from the M&A and equity capital markets teams at international firm King & Wood Mallesons. He is a corporate and securities lawyer with extensive cross-border experience, particularly in Asian markets. He focuses on public M&A, equity capital markets transactions (primary and secondary) and general corporate work in the resources and oil and gas sectors. His work has included advising on takeovers and schemes of arrangement; initial public offerings and ASX listings; debt and equity restructures; shareholder activist campaigns; share buy-back schemes; and strategic placements for Australian and international resources and energy companies.

Mr Jewkes previously worked for Norton Rose Fulbright in Perth, Melbourne and Hong Kong, and also completed secondments with the Takeovers Panel in Melbourne and resources company South32 in Perth.

Norton Rose Fulbright managing partner in Australia Wayne Spanner commented:

“With positive signs of growth in the Australian energy and resources industries, and for general corporate activity in Perth, we feel the time is right to add another two talented corporate M&A partners in our Perth office.

“Jessica and David both bring a long history of working on Australian and international deals, and their contributions to our national corporate M&A team will greatly benefit our domestic and foreign clients. We now have one of the most dynamic energy and resources practices in Perth and nationally in Australia, which is providing ideal support for clients as they seek to invest in a more buoyant market.”

The Australian partnership has continued to grow in recent months. On January 1, Claire Forster and Lisa Koch were promoted to the partnership, bringing strong industry knowledge across energy, mining, resources and infrastructure. The same month another three new partners – Holly McAdam, Richard Morrison and Martin Taylor – joined fellow partner Catherine Whitby in the Canberra office, adding significant depth to our national government practice.