Australasian law firm goes global

Australasian law firm Phillips Fox has entered into an alliance with international legal firm DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary.

DLA is one of the largest legal service organisations in the world, with more than 3100 staff in 22 countries.

The firm - which has 1400 staff offices across New Zealand, Australia and Vietnam - will be called DLA Phillips Fox.

Phillips Fox chairman John Strahl said it would be the first exclusive alliance of an established law firm in Australasia with a global law firm.

He said it was recognition of the "rapid integration of New Zealand and Australian business into the world economy".