Hall & Wilcox expands Adelaide commercial offering with new partner

Hall & Wilcox has strengthened its commitment to the South Australian market and expanded its Adelaide commercial offering with the appointment of experienced property and disputes partner James Forde. 

James’ practice covers commercial property, leasing, property enforcement and related disputes. He has significant experience acting for major shopping centre owners, property developers, private commercial clients, creditors, debtors and insolvency practitioners across a range of industries and sectors.

Also joining James at Hall & Wilcox are special counsels Jessica McNamara and Trisha Alexopoulos and Lawyer Lucy Blenkiron. This grows the Adelaide office to 30 people – reflecting the firm’s continued investment in South Australia, strengthening its ability to support local businesses, organisations and communities through larger on-the-ground presence backed by national expertise. 

Chief Executive Partner Graydon Dowd said James’ appointment would strengthen the firm’s Adelaide presence and benefit both local and national clients. 

‘James’ experience and collaborative, client-focused approach brings strong value to our clients and our Adelaide team. His appointment allows our South Australian clients to draw on our national expertise, with benefits flowing both ways. Having a strong team on the ground in Adelaide will allow our national clients to take advantage of their familiarity with the local market, stakeholders and conditions,’ he said.

‘James is a strong networker, collaborator and activator, making him a natural fit for our clients and culture, particularly in a strongly relationship-driven market. 

On joining Hall & Wilcox, James said: ‘Hall & Wilcox has a national platform and strong market reputation, but what attracted me most was the culture and the opportunity to further build a collaborative Adelaide-based practice, supported by a broader national team.

‘My practice has always been relationship-driven and commercially focused. I have worked alongside an outstanding team over many years and I’m excited to continue growing that practice within Hall & Wilcox as we support clients across South Australia and nationally.’