MCMAHON CLARKE SETS UP SHOP IN MELBOURNE

McMahon Clarke, a law firm that has forged a solid reputation in the financial services space, celebrates 20 years in business this year with a strategic expansion into Melbourne.

It is the firm's first office outside of Brisbane and, according to partner Brendan Ivers (pictured),the move is a "natural fit" with as much as 80 per cent of McMahon Clarke's revenue coming from clients in Melbourne.

The Melbourne office will consult to businesses and entrepreneurial individuals who raise capital for investment projects, structure private equity deals and make their own private investments.

"The Melbourne office is really about two things: servicing the clients that we have in Melbourne and Victoria better and securing more work out of Melbourne in the funds management space, particularly in property and litigation," says Ivers.

"There is a perception, and I don't know if it is a reality, but being in the same city is a big thing for clients so we want to leverage this."

With more than 45 employees and six partners, McMahon Clarke attributes the growth of the business to its specialist funds management and financial services expertise an area that Ivers says McMahon has pioneered.

"Our biggest thing has always been specialisation," says Ivers.

"The firm has always focused heavily on being a specialised boutique firm. We don't try and do everything, we only do a few things and we try to do them really well," says Ivers.

"Especially with the funds side of things, getting a name and a brand name in a sector has really been one of the significant sources of growth for us.

"And on top of that, we can do top-tier quality work for a more efficient price and clients are dealing with partners rather than junior lawyers."

McMahon Clarke focuses on selected areas of corporate, employment, funds management, insolvency and reconstruction, litigation and dispute resolution, private client and real estate.

McMahon Clarke registered the first managed investment scheme in Australia and has twice been involved in transactions awarded the Insolvency and Restructure Deal of the Year at the ALB Australasian Law Awards.

The firm also partnered with Centro Properties Group and Centro Retail Trust to create the multibillion-dollar ASX-listed Centro Retail Australia.

The funds team has also established more than 300 managed investment schemes with clients located in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, as well as overseas clients in Asia and Europe. Current key clients include One Investment Group, Federation Centres and Blue Sky Alternative Investments.

In its real estate division, McMahon Clarke assisted with the acquisition of Mirvac Hotels and Resorts from the Mirvac Group. The firm's role included reviewing the structure and compliance of the managed investment schemes and advising Accor on any potential issues for the ongoing management of those assets.

McMahon Clarke is the only boutique law firm in Australia to be ranked in Chambers & Partners in Investment Funds.