White & Case is to launch a practice in Australia offering legal services in the fields of energy, infrastructure and project finance.

There will be offices in Melbourne and Sydney, and the firm will be hiring three new partners from Herbert Smith Freehills, a rival law firm.

Adeline Pang, Ged Cochrane and Michelle Keen will be joining before December 8, with the Melbourne office due to open on December 1.

This follows the recent announcement that 10 lawyers will join from Herbert Smith Freehills, to be based in Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as Australia.

The Sydney office will follow in the new year. It will be an extension of White & Case’s Asia Pacific energy, infrastructure and project finance team, which is led by Art Scavone.

Pang is an expert in energy and infrastructure projects, Cochrane in the acquisition and financing of energy projects and Keen on environmental planning and permitting.

Scavone says: “Our ambition is to build a top-tier energy, infrastructure and project finance practice in Australia, with a pivot north towards Asia more generally, and the addition of Adeline, Ged and Michelle is a great start for us.”

The head of White & Case Asia Pacific, Eric Berg, adds: “The arrival of our new partners represents the launch of our practice in Australia, which aligns with our Asia Pacific strategy to build on the firm’s global strengths.”