Exclusive: Squire Sanders poaches lawyers to set up shop in Darwin
31 August 2012
International US giant Squire Sanders is rumoured to be about to launch an office in Darwin, Australia, after once again snapping up a number of lawyers from top Aussie shop Minter Ellison.

According to sources close to the firm, Squires has already signed a lease for office space in the capital of the Northern Territories. And rumours suggest that the office will be manned by locally-hired lawyers from the outset, with the firm having nabbed two partners and three mid-level associates from Minter Ellison's Darwin office, and another partner and senior associate double act from a smaller local firm.

Squires has already planted a Stars and Stripes in Oz, having opened an office in Perth last year. It did so by, guess what, taking over Minter Ellison's Perth office and scooping up 80 local lawyers. Last month Squires' main man in Australia, John Poulson, smilingly told the legal press that the firm was going to launch in Sydney by poaching partners from top-tier rivals. Although it would be a bit of a blow for Minters if it turned out to be the victim again.

"the thing about Squire Sanders... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'"

A spokesman for Squires would only confirm that Cris Cureton would be joining as a new partner in Australia. The spokesman added that the firm was "delighted to have Cris join... He has outstanding credentials". Foremost amongst those credentials of course is that he's currently a partner at Minter Ellison based in, surprise surprise, Darwin.

There are, however, more prosaic worries about all this sharking around for talent. RollOnFriday's mole in Darwin said that they weren't sure "how a big US firm is going to do in Darwin. The lawyers up there all go home at 5pm". Don't worry, Uncle Sam will soon put a stop to that.