Commercial firm Piper Alderman has announced a new leadership team effective 1 February 2026.
James Macdonald has been appointed Managing Partner – the first time a Melbourne-based Partner has taken the helm in the firm’s 170-year history.
James has more than 30 years’ experience advising on M&As, capital raisings, corporate governance, venture capital and commercial contracts.
He has advised listed and unlisted companies and private equity funds across a range of transactions in Australia and overseas.
He will be supported by Deputy Managing Partners, Martin Lovell (Adelaide), a projects, infrastructure and finance lawyer, and McKenzie Moore (Sydney), who has expertise in complex commercial litigation and cross-border disputes.
Former Managing Partner Tony Britten-Jones, who held the role for 11 years, is moving to take up the position of National Head of Real Estate to strengthen and grow this practice.
“We are pleased to have completed a smooth transition of leadership ensuring stability for our clients and we express deep gratitude to former Managing Partner Tony Britten-Jones,” James said.
“Over 11 years, Tony oversaw significant firm growth and a strategic national expansion. Martin and McKenzie bring an exceptional skill set and breadth of experience to their leadership roles and together we will work to set the firm up for even greater success.”
Piper Alderman has more than 90 Partners across its national network with offices in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and most recently Darwin.
James said the new leadership team heralded an era of transformation as Piper Alderman seeks to drive innovation, talent development and further expansion while rolling out leading legal AI tools.
“While AI poses challenges for the legal industry, we’re tackling it head-on because we see huge benefits for our clients,” he said.
“We are already using AI tools to help combat cyber threats and phishing and augment document reviews and drafting. We believe AI has the potential to unlock more client growth whilst providing further administrative efficiencies.”
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