PERTH —Law firm Clayton Utz has secured a significant recruitment coup in Western Australia, welcoming a high-profile, five-strong legal team led by former Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (HSF Kramer) partners David Hugo and Jason Ricketts.
The move marks the winding down of boutique practice Chord Advisory, which Hugo established in 2024 to focus on infrastructure, construction, and major property mandates. Ricketts joined the boutique following an in-house counsel tenure, and the duo now bring a combined 55 years of elite BigLaw expertise back to the top-tier market.
Accompanying Hugo and Ricketts to Clayton Utz are lawyers Ebony Garlick, Lynsey O’Neil, and Kirsten Whitburn—all of whom previously practised together across both HSF Kramer and Chord Advisory.
Clayton Utz Chief Executive Partner Emma Covacevich noted that the team’s arrival directly aligns with the firm’s strategic investment in the resources-rich state.
“David, Jason, and their team are joining Clayton Utz at a time of incredible growth in the West Australian economy, and a time of expansion in our Perth office,” said Covacevich.
Hugo brings deep market authority to the firm, having spent 14 years as an HSF Kramer partner, where he also served as the head of its projects, energy, and infrastructure group in Perth prior to founding Chord Advisory. His track record encompasses advising private enterprise and all tiers of government on complex property developments, commercial construction, infrastructure programs, and high-value domestic and cross-border outsourcing transactions.
The appointments take effect this October, significantly expanding Clayton Utz’s frontline infrastructure and projects bench in Perth amid escalating project activity across Western Australia.
