Ashurst bolsters Australian disputes team with new hire

Ashurst bolsters Australian disputes team with new hire

Former HFW Perth managing partner Matthew Blycha joins as a partner in Perth office

The British multinational law firm Ashurst has strengthened its dispute practice team in Australia with the arrival of arbitration lawyer Matthew Blycha from Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW).

Blycha was the managing partner of HFW at its Perth office. He specialises in construction disputes. His practice at Ashurst will focus on advising clients on the development, construction and operation of large resources projects across Australia and globally. He will also focus on resolving commercial disputes through international arbitration which has been identified by Ashurst as a strategic growth area.

Jeremy Chenoweth, Ashurst's head of dispute resolution for the Asia Pacific, termed Blycha as a dedicated and highly experienced construction arbitration partner "whose resources industry expertise will enable us to capitalise on significant growth opportunities in Western Australia and to better support existing and prospective energy, resources and infrastructure clients throughout our global network".

Blycha was associated with HFW for a little over a decade. Besides being the managing partner, he was also a member of HFW's Australian executive team. His role included deputy chair of global innovation and being the firm's sustainability ambassador.

Blycha had in the past worked with Shearman & Sterling in Singapore, Denton Wilde Sapte in Dubai and Gadens in Melbourne.

"I look forward to adding value to the partnership, particularly in the arbitration space, where Ashurst has a very strong market presence and a high quality, long-standing client base. I look forward to using Ashurst's global platform to pursue new opportunities, realising the vast potential for growth in Australia's resources industry," Blycha said.