Australian firm Gadens has agreed to merge with Canberra-based Trinity Law, expanding the national firm’s footprint in the capital in the same month that it completes the financial integration of its network of offices.

The deal, which will add seven partners to Gadens and more than 30 staff, comes hard on the heels of the merger on 1 July of all of Gadens' offices across Australia to create a firm with a single partnership and more than 350 lawyers based in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. The Trinity merger means the firm now has 106 partners nationwide.

Gadens chair Jeremy Smith said: “This is a very exciting time for Gadens, and possibly the most significant time in a history which can be traced back 177 years for some of our previous member firms. We are creating a modern Australian law firm which aims to help its people become the best versions of themselves, in and out of work, and also exists to support and provide comfort to its clients and other important communities.”

He added: “We want to be recognised as a leading Australian law firm, and these recent mergers provide the foundation for us to achieve that vision.”

The incoming Trinity Law team is led by managing principal John Irvine alongside partners Maurice Falcetta, Mark Poretti, Sarah Mason-Jones, Jacob Powell, Michael James and Rebecca Scully.

Mark Pistilli, CEO and managing partner of Gadens, said: “Building on the skills and expertise of Trinity’s seven partners and over 30 staff, this merger will support the growth aspirations of our firm as well as provide us with the base from which we can enhance our government-sector offering at both the federal and territory level in Australia’s capital city, enhance our focus on the defence sector and allow us to continue our support for Canberra’s vibrant business community.”

Irvine brings more than 20 years of experience and specialises in commercial and property law and project development. Falcetta specialises in dispute resolution; Poretti’s expertise spans commercial and business law for small and mid-size companies; Mason-Jones covers property law and wills and estates; Powell specialises in commercial and property law; James focuses on property law, as does Scully.

Irvine said: “This is a natural development for our firm and our lawyers. We can now support our clients as they do business across the whole of the country, and work closely with existing Gadens teams doing work in Canberra. Our people will also be part of an exciting and ambitious firm that puts them at the centre of everything it does and is going places.”