Meritas Global Legal Network | Williams + Hughes Perth

Meritas International Legal Network

Williams + Hughes is the exclusive Western Australian member firm of the Meritas global legal network, the world’s largest Tier 1 international alliance of independent law firms.

Recognised as an Elite Global Legal Network by Chambers and Partners (2026), Meritas connects high-performing, independently owned law firms across more than 90 countries, ensuring clients receive consistent, high-quality legal advice across jurisdictions.

Through our membership, Williams + Hughes provides clients with direct access to over 9,000 highly skilled lawyers across 175 law firms in 247 markets worldwide.

Membership of Meritas is by invitation only and subject to a rigorous vetting and approval process. Member firms must also undergo recertification every three years to maintain compliance with strict quality, performance, and client service standards.

Unlike informal referral arrangements, Meritas is a structured global legal alliance built on accountability, verified quality, and trusted cross-border collaboration.

Benefits of Working with a Meritas Law Firm in Australia

Quality Assurance & Legal Excellence

Meritas is recognised for its industry-leading quality assurance framework across all member firms.

To maintain membership, firms must participate in:

Ongoing re-certification programs
Client service evaluations
Performance benchmarking reviews

Meritas is the only global legal network with a formal system for continuously monitoring and improving member firm performance.

In addition, Meritas has implemented cybersecurity and data protection standards across all member firms, ensuring clients benefit from secure, modern, and resilient legal service delivery.

Peer Review & Client Satisfaction Monitoring

Service quality within Meritas is continuously measured through structured peer review and client feedback processes.

Every cross-border referral is evaluated, contributing to a Satisfaction Index Score for each firm. These scores are used to benchmark performance across the global network.

Firms that do not meet required service standards are required to improve or are removed from the network ensuring consistent excellence across all jurisdictions.

Global Legal Coverage Across 90+ Countries

Through Meritas, Williams + Hughes provides clients with seamless access to legal expertise across:

93 countries
247 global markets
175 law firms worldwide

This enables efficient support for:

Cross-border transactions
International expansion
Multi-jurisdiction disputes
Global corporate structuring
International commercial agreements

No other legal network combines this level of global reach with such strict quality assurance standards.

Meritas member firms also produce internationally recognised legal guides covering business law across Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. These resources are available via Meritas Insights and Resources.

For more information about Meritas, please visit www.meritas.org and the Meritas LinkedIn page.

International Legal Expertise from Perth, Australia

Need advice from an Australian Lawyer?

Williams + Hughes is an independent Australian commercial law firm based in Perth, Western Australia, specialising in:

Commercial law and corporate advisory
Commercial litigation and dispute resolution
Contract and business structuring

Perth’s strategic location provides a significant advantage, operating in a time zone that overlaps with approximately 60% of the global economy, including the UK, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and parts of the United States.

This allows for real-time communication and efficient collaboration with international clients and global Meritas partner firms.

We regularly advise on Australian and international matters including:

Corporate and commercial law
Contract negotiation and enforcement
Competition and regulatory law
Insolvency and restructuring

While our focus is commercial law, we maintain strong referral relationships with specialist firms across other practice areas where required.

Established Western Australian Commercial Law Firm

With more than 30 years of experience, Williams + Hughes has developed alongside Perth’s growth into a major hub for investment, energy, and resources.

Western Australia’s proximity to Asia and its globally recognised resources sector have contributed to increasing international business activity and cross-border legal demand.

Today, we advise:

High-net-worth individuals
Private and public companies
ASX-listed entities
Multinational corporations
International investors entering Australia

Our clients rely on us for commercially focused, pragmatic, and internationally connected legal advice.

GUIDES TO BUSINESS INVESTMENT AND EXPANSION IN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND ASIA

The Australasian Meritas member firms have assisted in creating a helpful Legal Guide for Business Investment and Expansion in Australia and a Legal Guide for Business Investment and Expansion in New Zealand. A similar guide for Asia is available – Asia: A Legal Guide for Business Investment and Expansion.

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION ROADMAP AND GUIDE; COMPLIANCE WITH GDPR

Meritas has also produced the very useful Global Roadmap to Personal Data Protection – Asia Pacific, Europe & USA (2nd edition) and the Meritas Guide to the Steps Companies Should Take to Comply with GDPR.

ALLIANCE WITH ASSOCIATION OF CORPORATE COUNSEL

Meritas partners with the Association of Corporate Counsel. This includes initiatives such as ACC QuickCounsel, a collection of online research guides designed to provide brief but accurate overviews of timely topics for in-house lawyers, with related links for further information. For more details, see here.

OUR MERITAS PARTNER FIRMS IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

We are proud to be members of Meritas with the other member firms in Australia and New Zealand:

Bennett & Philp, Brisbane

DMAW, Adelaide

Madgwicks, Melbourne

Martelli McKegg, Auckland

Swaab, Sydney