Legalink Holds APAC Regional Meeting in Perth, Hosted by Piper Alderman

Legalink held its 2026 APAC Regional Meeting in Perth, Western Australia, from 5 to 7 August, hosted by member firm Piper Alderman. Close to 30 delegates representing 11 jurisdictions across the network gathered for two days of substantive sessions, lively debate and the camaraderie that defines Legalink meetings.

The meeting was opened by Sonia Abraham, Legalink Chairperson and Partner at Azman Davidson & Co., together with Simon Venus, Partner at Piper Alderman.

The programme opened with a panel on the implications and risks of recent legal, policy and regulatory developments in the mining and resources sector across APAC, featuring Shane Entriken and Josh Steele, Partners at Piper Alderman; Warren Pearce, CEO of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC); and Bill Sullivan of Christian Teo & Partners, Indonesia.

Meriel Steadman, Partner at Piper Alderman, then facilitated a discussion on the energy transition in Australia and the opportunities it presents for international investors, with guest speakers Craig Amos (RSM Australia), Tim Bray (Department of Energy and Economic Diversification) and Martin Lovell (Deputy Managing Partner at Piper Alderman). A session on cross-border referrals and collaboration, led by Edmund Kronenburg, Simon Venus and Simon Taskunas, explored how members can turn the network into real work for their clients. Event sponsors Rick Campbell and Matt Winlaw of EDD closed the day with a presentation on digital transformation and what privacy means in a world of digital information.

On Thursday evening, Piper Alderman hosted a cocktail party at The Ritz-Carlton Perth, bringing together delegates, clients, colleagues and friends of the firm against the backdrop of Elizabeth Quay.

Day two featured a spirited debate on international arbitration and transnational litigation across APAC between Cris Cureton, Partner at Piper Alderman; Edmund Kronenburg, Partner at Braddell Brothers LLP, Singapore; Rajendra Navaratnam, Partner at Azman Davidson & Co., Kuala Lumpur; and Rajdeep Panda, Partner at Dua Associates, India. The final session, on economic trends and investment opportunities across Western Australia and Australia, was moderated by Catherine Wheeler, Partner at Piper Alderman, joined by guest speakers Abdul Ekram of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Daniel Kiely, Chief Economist at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCIWA).

The meeting concluded among the vineyards of the Swan Valley, with a farewell dinner at Sandalford Estate.

Legalink thanks Piper Alderman — in particular Simon Venus, Shane Entriken, Meriel Steadman, Simon Taskunas and Catherine Wheeler — for their outstanding hospitality, an excellent line-up of speakers and a memorable networking programme in Perth, as well as Bessie Shevket and Alexa Woldan for their seamless organisation of the event.

The network's next conference is the Legalink General Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 12 to 14 November 2026, hosted by Christian Teo & Partners.