Insights
Wilson Elser announced it is again certified a Gold Standard Firm by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF). The WILEF recognizes women attorneys from the largest law firms and corporate law departments in the United States, London and Paris.
The organization’s highest honor, Gold Standard Certification, requires a U.S. law firm to have a total of at least 300 practicing attorneys and to meet certain mandatory criteria for women and women of color. This initiative is the centerpiece of the WILEF’s continued commitment to being the change agent for women in law firms to rise within the firm as business developers and leaders.
“Wilson Elser is proud to be again named a WILEF Gold Standard certified law firm,” said Carolyn O’Connor, Chair of Wilson Elser’s Women Attorneys Valued & Empowered (WAVE) Employee Resource Group. “Gold Standard certification is proof that Wilson Elser is committed to diversity and equity in all ranks of firm leadership.”
Angela Russell, Chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, added, “Wilson Elser is a leading national law firm for many reasons, and our efforts to advance the next generation of women attorney leaders is an important one.”
Learn more about the Women in Law Empowerment Forum as well as Wilson Elser’s WAVE and related initiatives.
Wilson Elser announced it is again certified a Gold Standard Firm by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF). The WILEF recognizes women attorneys from the largest law firms and corporate law departments in the United States, London and Paris.
The organization’s highest honor, Gold Standard Certification, requires a U.S. law firm to have a total of at least 300 practicing attorneys and to meet certain mandatory criteria for women and women of color. This initiative is the centerpiece of the WILEF’s continued commitment to being the change agent for women in law firms to rise within the firm as business developers and leaders.
“Wilson Elser is proud to be again named a WILEF Gold Standard certified law firm,” said Carolyn O’Connor, Chair of Wilson Elser’s Women Attorneys Valued & Empowered (WAVE) Employee Resource Group. “Gold Standard certification is proof that Wilson Elser is committed to diversity and equity in all ranks of firm leadership.”
Angela Russell, Chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, added, “Wilson Elser is a leading national law firm for many reasons, and our efforts to advance the next generation of women attorney leaders is an important one.”
Learn more about the Women in Law Empowerment Forum as well as Wilson Elser’s WAVE and related initiatives.
Wotton + Kearney has been recognised as a Band 1 insurance law firm in Australia and New Zealand in the 2023 Chambers Asia-Pacific legal rankings released today. This is the 11th year in a row the firm has been recognised as a Band 1 firm in Australia. Fifteen of the firm’s senior lawyers were also recognised, including 3 for the Shipping category.
Congratulations to our listed lawyers Adam Chylek, Andrew Moore, Belinda Henningham, Cain Jackson, David Kearney and Naraya Lamart in Australia, and to Antony Holden, Andrew Moore, Caroline Laband, Jeanette Hayes, Mathew Francis, Misha Henaghan, Neil Beadle, Peter Leman and Sophie Lucas in New Zealand.
Australia Insurance: https://lnkd.in/gNvpmeXS
New Zealand Insurance: https://lnkd.in/guJ4pUAr
Our Canadian partner firm Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP hosted an fantastic event at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto last night attended by insurance lawyers from the Legalign Global™ alliance along with The ARC Group Canada . Clients and guests enjoyed a panel discussion looking at risks and trends in the insurance market chaired by Jennifer Huneault, LL.B. CRM with speakers including David McKnight, William Naylor from DAC Beachcroft LLP in London and Jennifer Stegmaier of Wilson Elser in Chicago. Special guest was Hayley Wickenheiser who spoke about her career and what she’s learned so far in medicine. Another great event showcasing our talent across the regions.
Wilson Elser has been certified a Gold Standard Firm by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF). The WILEF recognizes women attorneys from the largest law firms and corporate law departments in the United States, London and Paris. The organization’s highest honor, Gold Standard Certification, requires a U.S. law firm to have a total of at least 300 practicing attorneys and to meet certain mandatory criteria for women, and women of color, included among the equity partnership and serving as office heads, participating on governance and compensation committees, and relating to compensation. Wilson Elser met these stringent criteria and was granted certification on its first application.
“Wilson Elser is proud to be named a WILEF 2022 Gold Standard certified law firm,” said Carolyn O’Connor, Chair of Wilson Elser’s Women Attorneys Valued & Empowered (WAVE). “The certification is further evidence of how Wilson Elser not only values creating a diverse, inclusive culture but also practices those values and, indeed, is among the industry leaders in supporting women attorneys.” Angela Russell, Chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, adds, “WILEF’s recognition is especially gratifying given our strategic vision for the future and the integral role our women attorneys will play.”
Learn more about the Women in Law Empowerment Forum as well as Wilson Elser’s WAVE and related initiatives.
Legalign Global alliance member, Wotton + Kearney, is opening its eighth office in Australia’s capital city, Canberra in September 2022.
David Kearney, Wotton + Kearney’s Chief Executive Partner, said: “We have been keen to grow our government and insurance practice to support our clients in Canberra for some time but didn’t want to do so without the right team and leader to spearhead our move. With the arrival of Cath Power, arguably one of the most respected insurance lawyers in Australia, and her team who join us from Sparke Helmore, we are confident we have done just that”.
The firm’s move into Canberra is the latest chapter in its strong Australasian growth story. It follows the recent opening of Wotton + Kearney’s Adelaide office and several recent senior appointments across its Property, Energy & Construction, Financial Lines and General Liability practices and in the specialty lines of Cyber, Marine & Transport and Health.
Wotton + Kearney now has more than 340 dedicated insurance lawyers, including 62 partners, across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Wellington and Auckland. To meet insurers’ needs, the firm also has an active presence in the London and Singapore markets.
We are pleased to announce 25 lawyer promotions in Australia and New Zealand, including five new partners, two special counsel and 13 senior associates, effective 1 July 2022.
In our 20th year, it is wonderful to see Wotton + Kearney continuing to grow so strongly. The promotion of new partners Cassandra Wills (Brisbane), Patrick Thompson (Sydney), Yen Seah (Melbourne), Ronnie Mok (Brisbane) and Edward Burrell (Sydney) adds to our growth story. We now have 62 partners, including Marie-Clare Elder, Claudine Watson-Kyme, Peter Leman, Caroline Laband and Misha Henaghan, who joined in January 2022.
Cassandra Wills and Patrick Thompson are the latest partners to join our General Liability team.
Cassandra specialises in public liability claims, routinely advising on coverage, liability and recovery prospects under various policies of insurance. She has extensive experience dealing with personal injury and historical abuse claims under both PIPA and the WCRA.
Patrick specialises in public sector litigation and has an extensive background in professional indemnity and public liability claims, including assisting clients to navigate the sensitivities of the abuse claims sector. He acts primarily on behalf of government entities, including police, health, ambulance and child welfare agencies.
Our Financial Lines team is also being boosted with the promotion of Yen Seah and Ronnie Mok.
Yen’s practice focuses on claims arising under directors and officers, professional indemnity, and management liability policies of insurance. She has extensive experience in acting as coverage and monitoring counsel in large-scale, high value litigation, including shareholder class actions.
Ronnie is known for his expertise in professional indemnity, management liability, and directors and officers liability. With broad industry experience, he manages large-scale disputes that often involve multiple parties and stakeholders, and complex liability and quantum issues.
Our Major Loss Property team is being further strengthened with Edward Burrell’s promotion. Edward, who previously worked in-house at a Tier 1 D&C contractor, specialises in coverage advice and claims strategies for mega-losses and other large-scale litigation in the property and construction sectors.
Congratulations also to our other promoted lawyers:
- Special Counsel – Christy Mellifont (Melbourne, Financial Lines) and Karren Mo (Melbourne, Financial Lines).
- Senior Associate – Jessica Chapman (Sydney, Financial Lines), Maddison Fairthorne (Melbourne, General Liability), Isobel Howie (Sydney, General Liability), Lily Kidman (Sydney, General Liability), Petra Kolovos (Melbourne, Financial Lines), David Lucas (Sydney, Property, Energy & Infrastructure), Julia Marchesi (Melbourne, Financial Lines), Connor Molloy (Sydney, General Liability), Sarah Sackville (Sydney, General Liability), Natalie Sinclair (Sydney, General Liability), Jeremy Thomson (Wellington, Financial Lines & General Liability), Vicki Thorpe (Melbourne, General Liability) and Kristyn Winner (Sydney, Property, Energy & Infrastructure).
- Associate – Jemma Callanan (Sydney, General Liability), Kaila Hart (Sydney, Financial Lines), Andrew Salinas (Sydney, Financial Lines), David Smith (Auckland, Financial Lines) and Louis Van Bergen (Perth, General Liability).
Wotton + Kearney has again joined forces with Liberty Specialty Markets and ANZIIF to investigate how experiences of workplace inclusion are affecting the insurance industry.
More than 400 ANZIIF members and industry participants shared their views on inclusion via the online survey to inform our Deep Dive on Inclusion Survey Report 2021.
The report is written by Dr Jennifer Whelan, Director of Psynapse Psychometrics, a leading expert on inclusion. It highlights that inclusion remains an important issue for the insurance industry, particularly given the broader work-related challenges we have all continued to face during the pandemic.
Our third annual survey also looks at the 2021 Dive In Festival theme of ‘Active Allyship and Empowerment’ and the important role we all have to play in turning our good intentions into impactful actions. This includes a practical checklist on ways we can each become an “Active Ally”.
We thank Liberty Specialty Markets, ANZIIF and everyone who completed the survey for their help to keep a spotlight on diversity and inclusion in the Australian insurance industry.
You can download a PDF of the full report here.
To celebrate our 20th anniversary, Wotton + Kearney is committing to making ‘20 Actions for 20 Years’ that will make the firm a better and more responsible business. The 20 Actions for 20 Years Project promises to create a lasting legacy for the firm in the areas that its people think are most important today – reduced inequality, climate action, mental health and wellness, and social justice.
To identify our areas of focus, we undertook a consultative process using the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Gender Equality, Reduced Inequalities, Climate Action, and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
“Once we agreed our priorities, we deliberately chose to start work on just a few short-term actions as the project is designed to evolve over a 20-year period. Our first three actions are aimed at getting our own house in order before we move on to external actions,” said David Kearney, Wotton + Kearney’s Chief Executive Partner.
The first three actions involve:
- reducing inequality and going public with the commitment – this will include signing up to the Equitable Briefing Policy and the Charter for the Advancement of Women, publishing gender-based leadership targets and agreeing a Reconciliation Action Plan,
- reducing climate impact and going public with the commitment – this will include signing up to Climate Active and publishing emissions targets, and
- auditing current activities across all four areas of focus to create a baseline from which to measure the impact of the 20 activities.
David Kearney added: “Understanding where we are now and ‘going public’ with our intentions are important because we want to be held accountable for our role in fostering equality, reducing climate impact, and improving wellbeing and social justice over time. That means we need to be able to factually report on our progress – to our people, to our clients, to industry bodies and to the communities we operate within.”
Contribution to community is a way of life at Wotton + Kearney. Over the coming years many of the 20 Actions will likely form part of the firm’s pro bono and responsible business program – Community Footprint. More information about Wotton + Kearney’s commitment to achieving positive change and sustainable growth, and being a responsible business, can be viewed in the video below.
Legalign’s Cyber team are thrilled to be speaking today at the Advisen Cyber Risk Insight Conference in London as part of the Legalign week. Julian Miller will be on the keynote panel discussing Cyber War Exclusions and Eleanor Ludlam, Kieran Doyle, Joseph Fitzgerald, Franz Konig and Anjali Das will be discussing cross-border legal perspectives for the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and US on a panel chaired by Hans Allnutt.
#BreakingTheBias – Breaking Bias through allyship
In our final Legalign Global video celebrating International Women’s Day, we hear from Celena Mayo, Ryan Howe and Scott Macoun on breaking bias through allyship, the power of mentoring and the role that men can play to create a gender equal future
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