The Perth office, which opened yesterday, is the fifth established by the firm after Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Experienced West Australians Shane Entriken and Paul Sartori have joined Piper Alderman as local partners to head up the Perth office.

The company says the presence on Australia’s west coast will further strengthen Piper Alderman’s position as one of Australia’s leading, and fastest-growing commercial law firms and enable further expansion of its offering to clients through both geography and capability.

Piper Alderman formed in 1988 following the merger of well-known Adelaide law firms Aldermans and Piper Bakewell & Piper.

The firm established an office in Sydney in 1998 and followed it up with offices in Melbourne (2000) and Brisbane (2004).

Piper Alderman’s national managing partner Tony Britten-Jones said Entriken and Sartori were both well-established and respected within the Western Australian business and legal communities with the skills and experience to establish and grow the Perth office.

He said the initial focus would be to establish Piper Alderman’s office with foundation clients and then expand the client base in key sectors including mining and resources, construction and engineering, healthcare, education and government.

“While Piper Alderman is a national firm, our approach to expansion is about finding the best local people with local knowledge and supporting them to deliver industry-leading advice and services to clients,” Britten-Jones said.

Entriken, an industrial relations specialist, said Piper Alderman had been servicing clients in WA for many years.

“We have exciting plans to grow the firm in the West by attracting good local talent and I look forward to playing my part in leading that growth and continuing to be a market leader in what we deliver for clients.”

Sartori brings local and international experience and expertise to the firm’s national corporate and mergers & acquisitions practice.

“We have a strong team in place from day one and look forward to expanding our local offering with energetic experts and leaders in their field,” he said.

Piper Alderman has more than 350 staff working across five states.

The firm is active across a range of sectors including energy and resources, financial services, infrastructure, transport and defence.

The new Perth office is on St George Terrace, in the heart of the CBD.