Five lawyers jump ship and add major boost for firm’s insurance offering

Two partners and a team of three lawyers have been brought on board by a top firm in a move to diversify and strengthen its insurance offering

Australian law firm Mills Oakley has added a new dimension to its insurance practice with the recruitment of Frazer Hunt as a new partner in Sydney, and Andrew Croxford as a new partner in Melbourne.

Hunt joins Mills Oakley from Piper Alderman, and will make the move on November 24 alongside a team of three lawyers.

He is a specialist in the areas of marine, aviation and property insurance and currently represents more than half of the marine insurers in Sydney and many insurers in the UK and Europe.

He’s also the immediate past President of the Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand.

The Melbourne insurance practice has also been bolstered by the arrival of Croxford, from Gadens.

The new Mills Oakley partner has a depth of experience in the areas of corporate risk and insurance litigation.

He has particular expertise acting in respect of insurance disputes, including personal injury, product and property liability, professional indemnity and D&O matters across all jurisdictions.

Mills Oakley CEO John Nerurker says the appointments demonstrate the firm’s commitment to building a pre-eminent national insurance practice.

“Our key insurance clients have given us consistent feedback that they prefer to do business with firms with geographic scale and genuine bench strength.

“The arrival of Frazer and Andrew, both leading practitioners in their fields of expertise, is a major boost to the breadth and depth of our offering.”

These appointments are a continuation of a pattern of substantial growth in the Mills Oakley insurance practice, which has included the appointment of well-regarded general liability and professional indemnity specialist Michael Down, who joined the firm from DLA Piper last year.