MinterEllison is pleased to announce that Chris Allen has joined the firm's M&A practice as a partner.

Based in the firm's Sydney office, Mr Allen's appointment strengthens MinterEllison's already impressive M&A and private equity capability.

MinterEllison's corporate/M&A team across Australia has over 50 partners and more than 150 lawyers.

""M&A remains one of our firm's most important and trusted offerings, and having the right people will play a large part in our plans as we continue to grow,"" said MinterEllison partner Con Boulougouris. ""Chris will be a great asset, with his skills and experience complementing Ricky Casali and Glen Sauer in our already high performing line-up of private equity and corporate M&A partners.""

Mr Allen's appointment follows the recent addition of M&A and private equity tax specialist, James Momsen, who joined the firm as a partner in October 2017. This followed the appointment of John O'Connell as Special Counsel in November 2017.

""New additions like Chris, James and John reinforce our strength and capability in the mid-market, whilst also equipping the firm with the calibre and skillsets needed to continue servicing the larger fund managers in the market,"" said Mr Boulougouris.

Mr Allen returns to the firm after spending nearly four years at Gilbert + Tobin where he worked on deals including PEP and Carlyle's joint purchase of iNova, and KKR's purchase of Laser Clinics Australia. His expertise has also seen him advise the likes of Affinity Equity Partners, ICG, Allegro and VGI Partners.

He joined MinterEllison on 5 February 2018 with a focus on private equity, special situations and alternative funding.