Hall & Wilcox expands corporate capability with strategic partner team appointment
In a significant move, Hall & Wilcox has appointed corporate partners James Hill, Alasdair McLean and Hugh Scales – the latest step of a growth strategy that is positioning the firm as one of Australia’s fastest growing independent law firms.
Joining the Melbourne office on 1 July 2026, the trio lead a well-established corporate practice, advising clients across mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, corporate advisory, funds management and regulatory matters.
While some firms are narrowing their focus around premium transactional work or pursuing scale through international affiliations, Hall & Wilcox has continued to invest as an independent, full-service national firm, building capability in areas of growing client demand.
Chief Executive Partner Graydon Dowd said the appointments add further depth to the firm’s corporate capability and reflect commitment to investing in high-quality talent.
‘James, Alasdair and Hugh bring deep corporate and commercial expertise, strong client relationships and a highly regarded practice that complements our existing capabilities,’ he said.
‘Their appointment grows our Melbourne corporate practice and enhances our ability to support clients nationally across the full lifecycle of their business.’
Graydon said the team’s arrival demonstrated the firm’s commitment to building capability through both organic growth and strategic lateral recruitment.
‘We continue to see strong demand for commercially focused legal advice from clients operating in increasingly complex and competitive markets. Bringing in a team of this calibre strengthens our position in the market and creates opportunities across a number of practice areas for our clients and our people.’
The firm’s national Head of Corporate, James Morvell, commented, ‘James, Alasdair and Hugh bring not only valuable new client and referrer relationships to our corporate practice, but also an outstanding track record of building high-performing teams and fostering supportive, high-performance cultures. I am confident that this strong alignment in client service and collegiate values will ensure a seamless and successful integration into our already thriving practice.’
On joining Hall & Wilcox, Alasdair said, on behalf of the three new partners, ‘Corporate matters and our clients’ needs rarely exist in isolation, so joining a firm where collaboration is embedded in the culture, and which offers outstanding depth and capability across complementary practice areas, is a natural fit. We believe Hall & Wilcox has emerged as one of Australia's standout independent law firms, and we're excited to contribute to that momentum.’
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