Ashurst strengthens Energy Resources offering with trio of hires in Perth

Paul Lingard, Miriam D’Souza and Jessica Davies are joining Ashurst's Perth office to support the firm's growing offering to clients in the Asia-Pacific region. The trio come to Ashurst from international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF).

Paul Lingard

Paul Lingard is an experienced corporate lawyer who is a market leader in the energy & resources sector.

With an extensive background working on complex M&A transactions, operational issues and large-scale development projects for energy and mining companies, Paul provides insights into a wide range of corporate and development issues across the sector. His clients include Australian and multinational companies with domestic and international operations. He has advised some of the largest players in the oil & gas sector on their international operations, including structuring trading arrangements and infrastructure access.

Paul is recognised as an expert in the sector and is ranked across all major legal directories including Chambers, Legal 500 and Doyles Guide. He will play a leading role in the ongoing development of Ashurst's energy & resources offering.

Paul was most recently NRF's co-head of the Asia Pacific Energy group and co-head of Energy, Infrastructure & Resources, Australia. He has been a partner at NRF since October 2018. He was previously a partner at Clifford Chance and before that at King and Wood Mallesons.

Miriam D’Souza

Miriam D’Souza has a broad project development practice covering the mining, electricity, waste, transport and social infrastructure industries. She advises clients in both government and the private sector on strategic issues, project delivery and implementation.

Miriam has been a partner at NRF since October 2018, following close to 16 years as a lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills.

Jessica Davies

Jessica Davies is an international energy & resources lawyer based in Perth. She has practiced in Australia, London and New York, and is a qualified Australian solicitor and US attorney. Jessica's expertise includes advising multinational energy and resources companies across the entire supply chain, including on M&A, JVs, regulatory issues, project development and operations.

Ashurst's global co-head of Projects & Real Estate, Lee McDonald, commented:

"We are delighted to announce the hires of Paul, Miriam and Jessica. Ashurst is committed to growing our already strong energy & resources offering to forge a reputation as the go-to adviser across the Asia-Pacific region. As a firm, we have already experienced significant growth in this area and Paul, Miriam and Jessica will help to continue this trajectory. Paul is a leading expert in the sector and brings with him the vision, skills and experience to develop a significant practice that can extend beyond a pure energy & resources focus. The hire of Paul, Miriam and Jessica is an expansive move that underscores our plans for growth."

Perth Office Managing Partner, Gaelan Cooney, added:

"We are excited to welcome Paul, Miriam and Jessica to Ashurst's Perth office. All three bring impressive experience and strong technical capabilities and have the ability to guide companies and governments through a wide range of legal and commercial issues. Their arrival is a sign of Ashurst's commitment to growing our Perth office and our broader offering to clients in the energy & resources sectors. We have a strong pipeline of talent and are planning further senior hires in our Perth office to continue to offer world-class expertise to clients."