Minter Ellison Rides Into Mongolia
One steppe at a time. That appears to be the growth motto of Australian law firm Minter Ellison after its partners voted to open an office in Mongolia–its fourth in Asia.
Minter Ellison is setting up in Ulan Bator at a time when Mongolia’s resources are attracting rising interest from Australian and Western miners that have found themselves locked out of the biggest deposits in China and neighboring Russia by a regulatory environment that favors local firms.
Clients increasingly preferred local expertise rather than legal affairs being handled remotely, says Minter Ellison, which has over 1,000 lawyers globally.
“Mongolia is the logical next step for us,” says John Weber, Minter Ellison’s chief executive partner. “It is an increasingly strategic market with a substantial resource-based economy and is attracting the attention of the global resources industry, including Australian companies. Many of these are Minter Ellison clients.”
Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe Mines are investing billions of U.S. dollars in Mongolia to develop the Oyu Tolgoi copper deposit, while several other ASX-listed companies such as Xanadu Mines and Guildford Coal have assets in the landlocked country.
Minter Ellison said there are 144 Australian invested companies in Mongolia. Austrade, the government’s trade agency, also established a permanent presence there in September.
“We could have opted to continue a minimalist approach, with fly-in fly-out teams to service their needs, but our experience in Greater China tells us it’s better to be on the ground working with clients,” Mr. Weber said.
Elisabeth Ellis, one of the law firm’s senior partners in Hong Kong, will relocate to the new office in Ulan Bator as a full-time resident partner and will be backed up by a team of Mongolian lawyers.
In addition to Hong Kong, Minter Ellison has Asian offices in Shanghai and Beijing.
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Source : wsj
