The Brief:
DLA Piper has promoted five Australian lawyers to its global partnership across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
It’s a major bump to 2025 when no Aussie lawyers were made up to partner.
DLA Piper has elevated five Australian lawyers to its global partnership, bolstering its bench across energy and natural resources, technology, employment and corporate transactions.
The new partners are:
Conor Dolphin (Sydney, Corporate) - Dolphin advises on private M&A, private equity, venture capital, corporate restructurings, governance and commercial matters, working with Aussie and international clients across tech, pharma and healthcare, and energy.1
Mitch Robertson (Sydney, Employment) - Robertson supports Aussie and international organisations on workforce strategy, employment risk and workplace change across energy and resources, retail, technology, and transport and logistics.
Maddison Hardiman (Melbourne, Corporate Projects)- Hardiman’s focus is on renewable energy and infrastructure, advising project developers, financial sponsors, vendors and purchasers across the full lifecycle of complex energy and infrastructure transactions.
Sarah Birkett (Melbourne, IP and Tech) - Birkett leads the firm's data, privacy and cyber security capability in Australia, advising on high-risk, business-critical tech and compliance issues.
Matthew Roberts (Perth, Energy and Resources) - Roberts has deep experience in energy and natural resources, covering the early-stage development of hard-rock exploration and mining projects from tenure through to regulatory approvals and complex commercial arrangements.
The five promotions are part of a global round of 62 partners, a slight dip from 65 last year. But for Australia, it’s a slightly different story: no Aussie lawyers were promoted to partner in 2025, making this year’s five a major jump.
Country Managing Partner Shane Bilardi said:
“These promotions recognise lawyers who are already making a strong impact with clients and within the firm. We are deliberately investing in areas where our clients are driving transformation and dealing with change, whether that is the energy transition, technology-driven change or managing growth in complex markets.”
Source: DLA Piper
1 Following his relocation to Sydney, Conor Dolphin will remain as a senior associate and Partner Elect until he qualifies in Australia in Q3 2026.