Australia has become the latest destination for international law firm Withers, as it establishes services for high net worth clients in the country.

Australia has become the latest destination for international law firm Withers, as it establishes services for high net worth clients in the country.

The firm has allied with existing Sydney-based tax practice Balazs Lazanas & Welch to set up Withers SBL, which will be headed by newly-appointed immigration law partner Rita Chowdhury. Also joining is Justin Shmith, a former corporate partner at Ashurst who will be based in Melbourne.

Withers makes it move into Australia to stand apart in “a fairly fragmented field for private client firms”, it said in a statement. It will become a part of its Asia Pacific market with support from its Hong Kong and Singapore offices.

Chowdhury’s team consists of a former senior legal officer within Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Sandy Natarajan and paralegal Irene Halforty. The team becomes part of Withers’ two-year-old global immigration practice, which currently consists of partner Reaz Jafri in the US, consultant Philip Barth in the UK and director of immigration Mark Lanning, who is based in Hong Kong.

"I am very excited to have joined Withers at this pivotal moment in their international growth strategy.  Demand for Australian immigration advice is at an all-time high, as wealthy Asian families look to move here,” Chowdhury said.

Chowdhury moves from her own practice, Integrate Legal, which she formed in May this year. Previously she was a partner at Deloitte, where she specialised in immigration services, and was special counsel for immigration practices at Baker & McKenzie for ten years.

Other new joiner Justin Shmith moves from Ashurst’s corporate and commercial team in Melbourne and specialises in M&A and cross-border investment.

Withers’ partnering firm, Balazs Lazanas & Welch has focused on tax, trust and estate matters since its establishment in 2009. It is operated by three former tax partners of Baker & McKenzie, John Balazs, Gina Lazanas and Paul Welch.

Withers and BLW will collaborate exclusively within the SBL alliance on all relevant areas of work, the firm said in a statement.

Withers has over 110 partners and 300 lawyers based across its Sydney, London, New York, San Francisco, the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Singapore, Geneva, Zurich, Milan and Padua offices.