John Dieckmann, Chris Erfurt, James Kendal, Adrian Kuti, Kate O'Donovan, Hilary Searing, Natalie Speranza and Mihkel Wilding have all been promoted to the partnership at the start of the new year.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome John, Chris, James, Adrian, Kate, Hilary, Natalie and Mihkel to the partnership,” chief executive partner Bruce Cooper said.

“Each has built a long-term career with us and has demonstrated the qualities for which we want our partners to be known: not only legal smarts but commercial savvy, resilience, and the ability to provide advice that shows they see through the client’s lens and understand the bigger picture.”

Mr Dieckmann, is part of the IP and technology team in Melbourne. Mr Dieckmann holds dual qualifications in law and IT. As a technology lawyer, his practice spans complex technology procurement, the IP and technology aspects of major commercial transactions and infrastructure projects, data security and privacy issues. 

Besides further technology-based business transformation, he sees cyber security and how businesses shore up their defences as a continuing area of focus throughout 2021, as well as how they capture, analyse, preserve and maximise the value of their digital assets.

Mr Erfurt, part of the commercial litigation practice in Brisbane is a litigator who acts for commercial and government clients in a wide range of areas, including insurance and indemnity, consumer remediation, environment, and commercial civil litigation and regulatory and white-collar crime, as well as other complex disputes and insurance advice. 

He recently secured a significant success for insureds in the first test case in Australia on business interruption insurance for COVID-19, and expects those claims and other insurance and regulatory disputes to remain in focus in 2021.

Working in the major projects and construction practice in Canberra, Mr Kendal advises clients in industries including aviation and airports, government, statutory corporations and construction, with a focus on the front-end of major projects and construction for light rail, airport infrastructure, major roads and rail projects. 

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He expects to see a focus in 2021 on new approaches in the way major infrastructure projects are structured and delivered, in response to market challenges and various government stimulus packages.

Ms Speranza works across the major projects and construction team in Melbourne. Ms Speranza advises government clients on complex procurements in the transportation and social infrastructure sectors, with particular experience in performance-based availability payment PPP projects as well as economic PPP structures. 

The market is currently seeing a change in the way large infrastructure projects are procured and Ms Speranza said that this will bring about a greater focus on building flexibility into infrastructure project contracts in the future.

Mr Kuti, has practised in the national competition team since 2008 and is based in Sydney, He has a broad regulatory practice spanning competition and consumer law, as well as telecommunications, radiocommunications, franchising and automotive regulatory issues. 

Mr Kuti is respected as an adviser to large corporate and government business enterprises in the retail, automotive, technology, telecommunications and finance sectors, in particular, and has a keen interest in the evolving application of traditional regulatory frameworks to new technologies. 

He anticipates a continued heightened environment for regulatory activity in 2021, leading to further investigations and enforcement actions.

Mr Wilding also works across the competition team in Sydney and is a respected competition and consumer law adviser, who understands the domestic and international regulatory environment impacting M&A transactions, investigations, enforcement and market studies. 

Mr Wilding said that he expects the ACCC to continue to focus on consolidated sectors and on how competition, consumer and privacy laws should respond to growth in the collection and monetisation of personal data.

Ms O'Donovan works across banking and financial services practice in Sydney and specialises in leveraged finance and corporate finance transactions, and acts for major banks, credit funds and alternative debt financiers, as well as private equity firms and listed and unlisted corporates. 

Ms O’Donovan said it’s an exciting time to be a leveraged finance lawyer in an environment of record low-interest rates and high liquidity in the private equity space, as well as increased regulatory challenges (such as the imminent replacement of LIBOR with risk-free rates and changes to FIRB regulations).

Ms Searing is part of the workplace relations, employment and safety team in Brisbane. Ms Searing advises both corporate and public sector clients on work health and safety, industrial relations and employment law, and is known for her approachability and commercial focus. 

She has managed high-profile disputes and is regularly called upon by clients to provide advice in real-time on their response to workplace safety incidents. In 2021, she anticipates an increased focus on what is appropriate contractor management from a safety perspective and on psychosocial hazards in the workplace.