Mallesons is back, and it's wearing periwinkle.

The top-tier independent Australian law firm has gone live with its rebrand, trading in the King & Wood Mallesons name after a 14-year partnership. It’s clear that “Back to the Future” is the move to position the legal titan as a more traditional law firm.

The freshly branded firm is “always ready” from the “twist no one expects”.

The new identity centres on a periwinkle colour scheme and a slogan built around one word: "Always." As in, "Always Mallesons." It's a deliberate nod to the firm's roots, Mallesons Stephen Jaques, which traces back to 1832 in WA under Alfred Stone.

The "twist no one expects" line in the rebrand materials gives the whole thing a quietly confident edge. Whether that lands with the market is another question.

Lawyers can look forward to the practical fruits of the refresh, including the coveted Mallesons umbrella and freshly printed business cards landing on their desks.

The firm, once positioned as "Asia to the World", is now staking its claim as Australia's leading top-tier independent. The independent model lets it pick the best-placed firms and individuals for each matter, delivering cross-border work without the constraints of the KWM network. It still operates in Australia and Singapore.

CEO Renae Lattey is anchoring the strategy around independence and rankings. For 8 consecutive years, Mallesons has claimed the most Chambers Band 1 practice group and individual rankings across the market, a credential Lattey is expected to use front and centre.

It was a move long anticipated since the former global CEO, Sue Kench, stepped down at the end of 2024. KWM opted to leave the seat vacant despite typically being required to fill the position under the partnership agreement.

Back in December, Lattey and chairman David Friedlander clarified the firm’s positioning that “there’s more opportunity in being separate” from its Chinese counterpart.

“We believe independence is our best strategy”, the pair told the firm in a memo when announcing the momentous change.

A position that Sam Nickless, the CEO of a fellow independent law firm, agrees is the right call.

Under the quietly collapsing Swiss Verein structure, KWM Australia and KWM China had always operated as separate entities. The rebrand simply makes official what many in the market had long suspected was inevitable.

"Always, Mallesons" is the bet. How long the firm plays it is the question.

Source: Mallesons