Clyde & Co appoints five Partners, 15 Senior Associates in Australia

Appointments bring the total number of promotions in Australia to 27 this year

Sydney, 26 June 2024: Global law firm Clyde & Co has today announced the promotion of five partners and 15 senior associates in Australia, effective 1 July 2024. This brings the total number of promotions in Australia to 27 this year. 

Leah Hewish, who joined the firm when Clyde & Co entered the Australian market in 2012, has been promoted to partner in the firm’s first party property and energy insurance practice. She specialises in homeowner, SME and Industrial Special Risks, as well as fraud claims. 

Hannes Marais and Jennifer Robbins have been promoted in the Brisbane office. Hannes has extensive experience in professional indemnity litigation, particularly in the construction sector where he regularly acts for engineers and certifiers. Jennifer is a financial lines insurance specialist. Her practice is focused particularly on claims against financial institutions, directors’ and officers’ liability, professional indemnity and cyber. 

Ross Donaldson, who has been promoted in the firm’s Melbourne office, has extensive experience in managing casualty, professional indemnity and construction insurance disputes.

Anthony Cooke is admitted to practice in both Australia and New Zealand. His promotion strengthens Clyde & Co’s regional cyber offering, where he advises clients on cyber security, data protection and privacy matters.

Gareth Horne, Chair of the Australian Insurance Practice, Clyde & Co, said: “The most recent round of partner promotions is strategically important as it reflects the firm’s commitment to grow the mid-market and SME offering in Australia in addition to our market-leading major and complex loss practice. This reflects growing demand in this space as our clients adjust their own capacity in an increasingly complex and competitive insurance market.”

Earlier this year, Melissa Tang was promoted to partner within the Energy, Marine and Natural Resources practice area, and James Rigney and Luke O’Kane were promoted to partner within the firm’s global Insurance practice.  

Three promotions to Special Counsel were made earlier this year in the firm’s Cyber practice, which among other things provides cyber breach response. There was one promotion in the Projects & Construction practice.   

In May 2024, Clyde & Co also hired special counsel Amy Thompson and David Wright, who joined from Linklaters and Holding Redlich respectively. Amy focuses on Financial Services Regulation, risk frameworks, governance, and cryptocurrencies. David focuses on Projects & Construction and handles complex disputes within the infrastructure, construction, and energy sectors on global projects. 

Effective 1 July 2024, the firm also appoints 15 to senior associate. This brings the total number of promotions in 2024 in Australia to 27. 

The promotions reflect Clyde & Co’s ongoing focus on ensuring it continues to provide the right size, type and scale of offering to meet the ever-evolving needs of local and global clients in its core sectors – Insurance, Projects & Construction, Aviation and Energy, Marine and Natural Resources.  

Rebecca Kelly, Australia Managing Partner, Clyde & Co, said: “Our new partners, special counsel and senior associates reflect the amazing talent of our people, which is essential to provide clients with the high level of service and specialist expertise they expect. All those promoted provide exceptional support to our clients and help us perform at our best as a firm.”  

“They also represent the next generation of senior lawyers and are shining examples of Clyde & Co’s values in action with their focus on client excellence, working together as part of a global team, and celebrating and welcoming different perspectives and ideas from across the firm. Congratulations to all as they mark the next milestone in their careers.” 

In the past twelve months the firm has also promoted Stefanie Luhrs to partner in its cyber practice, hired Liam Hennessy into its Regulatory & Investigations practice and Rebecca Kelly (Regulatory & Investigations) has relocated from Dubai to Brisbane and taken up the role of Australia Managing Partner. 

 

Promoted in Australia 

Partners 

Leah Hewish – Sydney (Insurance) 

Hannes Marais – Brisbane (Insurance) 

Ross Donaldson – Melbourne (Insurance) 

Anthony Cooke – Sydney (Insurance)   

Jennifer Robbins – Brisbane (Insurance) 

 

Partners appointed earlier in 2024 

Luke O’Kane – Sydney (Insurance)  

James Rigney – Sydney (Insurance) 

Melissa Tang – Sydney (Energy, Marine & Natural Resources) 

 

Special Counsel  

Claudia Dennison – Brisbane (Insurance) 

Jacky Li – Sydney (Insurance) 

Stuart Lloyd – Sydney (Insurance) 

William Barrington – Sydney (Projects & Construction)