The Brief:
Ashurst has promoted 18 lawyers to partner globally from 1 May 2026, nine of them Australian.
The round is headlined by Disputes, Global Loans and Energy Transition, which account for 61% of promotes.
Ashurst named 18 new partners effective 1 May 2026.
Disputes, Global Loans and Energy Transition account for 61% of the class. Women make up half the cohort, in line with the firm's five-year rolling average.
Global CEO Paul Jenkins said:
"I am delighted to welcome our 18 new partners, who have all played a significant role in serving the needs of our clients. These appointments reflect Ashurst's strategic priorities as we move toward our exciting combination with Perkins Coie, and continue to strengthen the depth of capability across our global platform."
The new Aussie partners are:
Sharon Liu (Corporate Transactions, Sydney)
Arjuna (AJ) Guruge (Ashurst Advance Digital, Melbourne)
Srishti Natesh (Dispute Resolution, Sydney)
Libby McKillop (Planning, Access & Environment, Brisbane)
Kate Gould (Real Estate, Perth)
John McKellar (Competition, Melbourne)
Wilson Liu (Global Loans, Sydney)
Nick Perkins (IP/Media, Sydney)
Phillip Aquilina (Dispute Resolution, Sydney)
It’s a major jump from 3 Australian partner promotions last year.
The promotions land ahead of Ashurst's combination with Perkins Coie, with the merged firm set to launch as Ashurst Perkins Coie in Q3 2026 after partners at both firms voted the deal through in April.
Source: Ashurst