The Perth operation of major law firm Phillips Fox, which has traditionally operated through a franchise arrangement, has lost 15 partners in the wake of a move to integrate the Western Australian business into its national network.

A Phillips Fox spokesman told Sunrise Exchange News the Perth partners were given a choice to stay with the business or move on, and a number chose the latter option.

The partners who chose to leave will merge with boutique litigation firm Bennett & Co to form a new firm called Lavan Legal.

The spokesman says that despite the losses and criticisms, Phillips Fox’s Perth operations will be fully integrated into the group’s national operations on April 3.

“The Perth business is still important to us,” she said. “We have always been insurance and risk management leaders and we will continue to provide excellence in that field.”

While Phillips Fox may have lost some of its insurance law focus in the west, eastern states law firm Moray & Agnew has strengthened its expertise in the field, poaching four partners from rival firm Herbert Greer & Rundle to its Melbourne office.

Moray & Agnew, which also has offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle, said in a statement that the move places the firm among Melbourne’s “frontrunners in insurance law”.

It now has 52 partners and 102 lawyers.