Adelaide law firm Commercial & Legal has poached the head of Minter Ellison’s real estate practice in South Australia.

Adrian Swale has joined the firm as senior lawyer and client services manager after close to 37 years at Minter Ellison, where he specialised in commercial property development and transaction advice.
Commercial & Legal principal partner Elias Farah described Mr Swale’s appointment as a “coup” for the firm, which employs 30 staff and three partners.

“We have always aimed to work on the best deals in town and now we have arguably the best known property lawyer on our team,”

Managing Partner, Elias Farah on Adrian Swale’s appointment

“His accomplishments and reputation aside, Adrian is also an incredibly great leader who fosters positive work environments and empowers his team members, which supports my own style and will bring to the firm a very strong sense of confidence and results,” Mr Farah said, adding that the firm was also looking to recruit another senior lawyer after building up the largest dedicated property team in the state.

Mr Swale said his legal and client relationship experience would support the firm’s growth ambitions. “C&L has exactly the resources I need to provide the full range of services to my client base, and it seemed a perfect fit,” he said. “I also love the fact that is a relatively young firm that is energetic and ambitious.”

Commercial & Legal was recently short-listed as a finalist in the property team of the year category of the Australian Law Awards.

Words by Giuseppe Tauriello as featured in the Adelaide Advertiser