A team of 28 lawyers that defected from K&L Gates in Australia last month is launching a new law firm specialising in employment and workplace law.

The firm, named Kingston Reid, says it will maintain a strong relationship with K&L Gates. It is simultaneously opening offices on Monday in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, with a founding team of nine partners, all of whom left K&L Gates. All of the other lawyers and some of the support staff also came from the global firm.