Henry Davis York (HDY) continues to suffer defections with three rivals confirming hires from the firm. Less than a month before its merger with Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF), Clayton Utz, Gadens, and Lander & Rogers have announced the hiring of teams from HDY, adding to the wave of lawyers who have gone to other firms before the
NRF-HDY merger goes live on 1 Dec.
NRF earlier said
partner defections are common ahead of mergers.
Clayton Utz brings in partners
Clayton Utz has appointed Debra Tippett and Angie Freeman as partners in its public sector team in Canberra. Tippett was a special counsel while Freeman was a partner at HDY.
The new partners, who joined their new home on 6 November, both specialise in ICT procurement and contracting advice to both government and private sector clients. They have more than 30 years’ experience combined working with Commonwealth government agencies.
“Debra and Angie bring an exceptional depth of experience in ICT procurement and contracting advice to government, which complements our broader offering to clients,” said Rob Cutler, Clayton Utz chief executive partner.
Debra Tippett
Angie Freeman
Gadens hires disputes team
Gadens has appointed Kathy Merrick as partner in its disputes team in Sydney. She was formerly the practice leader of HDY’s corporate and regulatory investigations and disputes team.
Merrick joins Gadens with senior associate Jade Matthews and lawyer Phoebe Brosnan. Her appointment comes after the firm’s hired partners
Brett Feltham and
James Roland from
DLA Piper and TurksLegal, respectively.
Merrick regularly represents major corporations, financial institutions, professional services firms, administrators and liquidators, and government clients on regulatory investigations and disputes, directors’ and officers’ duties, professional negligence claims, financial services and superannuation industry disputes, and insolvency related investigations, disputes, and complaints.
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Kathy Merrick
Lander & Rogers takes workplace relations and safety team
Lander & Rogers has scored a team of five workplace relations and safety experts from HDY.
It has appointed Sally Moten as special counsel, who moves from her old firm with her team that includes lawyers Sophie Bonnette and Adam Battagello, graduate Coral Yopp, and paralegal and migration agent Daniela Paloso.
Lander & Rogers hired partners Tony Woods and Stephen Jauncey, both also workplace relations and safety experts,
from HDY last month. With the new appointments, Lander & Rogers has effectively doubled its Sydney-based workplace relations and safety team in just a few weeks.
Partner moves
The recent appointments continue defections from both the HDY and NRF camp.
Late last month, McCullough Robertson hired four practice leaders from HDY. It first confirmed hiring partners
Jason Munstermann and Scarlet Reid and then partners
Ben Mortimer and Matthew McMillan.
Gilbert + Tobin
hired a partner from NRF in September.
Mills Oakley hired former NRF partner Iain Laughland and former HDY partner
Louise Cantrill earlier, while UK-headquartered firm Clyde & Co has also hired Cameron Thomson from NRF. Maddocks
hired special counsel Bronwyn Maynard from HDY.
Pinsent Masons announced in August that was
opening a Perth office, with a four-partner team from NRF. That same month, Corrs Chambers Westgarth confirmed that it has
hired five partners from HDY.
However, both HDY and NRF have also been bolstering its ranks in the months leading to the merger. NRF
added three senior lawyers in Sydney last month from global rivals, while HDY just recently
announced a massive partner promotion round.
Related stories:
HDY announces massive partner promotion round ahead of merger
NRF adds three senior lawyers in Sydney
