The new partners will be part of the firm's growing health team
![Two former in-house counsels join Wotton + Kearney partnership](https://cdn-res.keymedia.com/cdn-cgi/image/f=auto/https://cdn-res.keymedia.com/cms/images/us/070/0292_637793853006647019.jpg)
Former in-house counsels Claudine Watson-Kyme and Marie-Clare Elder have joined Wotton + Kearney’s (W+K) partnership, boosting the firm’s growing health team.
Both worked as senior in-house counsels and have medical backgrounds. They are also widely recognised for their legal advice and support to medical and allied health professionals.
Watson-Kyme is a former nurse. As a health law expert, she specialises in handling liability claims, coronial inquests, disciplinary and administrative law matters. She has represented various health agencies, medical indemnity insurers, hospitals, medical practitioners and allied health providers in NSW.
She was recently the manager of cases and advisory services at MDA National.
Elder is a former clinical nurse specialist in intensive care. As a medical lawyer, she has extensive expertise in health, medical negligence and personal injury litigation.
She gained in-house legal experience across Australia and the UK. Recently, she served as a senior legal counsel at Medical Insurance Group Australia, where she led the eastern seaboard team and handled general legal advice and litigated claims, coronial inquests, disciplinary and employment matters.
As new members of the health team, Watson-Kyme and Elder will work alongside partner Chris Spain.
“With their in-house experience, Chris, Marie-Claire and Claudine are reinventing the traditional healthcare offering and creating something genuinely different for the market in terms of price, service and an empathetic and practical approach to claims management,” W+K said.