Clyde & Co adds another senior lawyer in Sydney from NRF

The new partner is the third partner to move from the rival this year

Clyde & Co adds another senior lawyer in Sydney from NRF

Clyde & Co has recruited another senior lawyer in Sydney from a fellow global law firm.

Jacinta Studdert has joined the Clyde & Co partnership, moving from Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) where she was a partner for 18 years. She brings to the firm more than 25 years of experience in environment, development and planning law.

She is the third NRF partner to move to Clyde & Co from NRF this year. In early April, Clyde & Co appointed Cameron Thomson as non-contentious real estate practice head. Later that month, risk and cybersecurity partner John Moran joined the firm.

Michael Tooma, who joined Clyde & Co from NRF in 2016, was also recently named Australian managing partner.

Studdert said that she has been watching Clyde & Co for years, including its role in major projects. She said she sees “an exciting opportunity to work with market-leaders in the real estate, construction, infrastructure, transport and insurance sectors.”

“Working as a team, the culture of a firm and its leadership are very important to me. I have previously worked with several of the Clyde & Co partners and lawyers, and enjoyed doing so. I look forward to rekindling those relationships and growing our service offering to the market,” she said.

Studdert is a specialist in environment and planning requirements, compliance, risk management and regulatory issues associated with property, project and infrastructure development.

“The addition of Jacinta's practice will further bolster our offering to clients in the property, construction, infrastructure and resources sectors. We see significant synergies between Jacinta’s practice and our own,” said David McElveney, Australian head of the real estate, projects and construction group at Clyde & Co.

Clyde & Co said that Studdert regularly advises domestic and inbound investors on the purchase of property, particularly the current and permissible use or development of the property; approvals and licences required for using and developing land; existing and potential planning and environmental restrictions and liabilities; and, the compliance issues and risks associated with contamination.

“Having worked with Jacinta for many years, I'm delighted that she is joining the firm. Jacinta brings with her a significant amount of knowledge and experience in environmental and planning law, which will complement our projects, construction and property practice and further add to the depth of our regulatory practice,” Tooma said.

John Morris, the global head of projects and construction at Clyde & Co, said that the firm’s Australian practice is an integral part of the global projects and construction offering.

Clyde & Co now has 26 partners and more than 200 staff across four offices. The firm launched in Australia in 2012 with just four partners in two offices.

Jacinta Studdert