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Wotton + Kearney builds ‘dual expertise’ class action defence offering
International law firm Wotton + Kearney has continued to bolster its litigation ranks, following the poaching of a team from Corrs Chambers Westgarth and the expansion of its insurance division with a team from MinterEllison.
Jerome Doraisamy
In January, W+K took teams from two rival BigLaw firms: first, a team of six from Corrs, and second, a team of five from Minters.
The hiring of Ms Beattie, the firm said, allows it to create a “dual expertise” offering for the defence of class action proceedings, in light of her large-scale litigation experience, the firm’s existing insurance expertise, as well as the aforementioned arrival of the Corrs team, which provides services to the insurance sector and others in the complementary legal service areas of class action defence, D&O litigation, investigations and inquiries, and media law.
“We are delighted to welcome Amanda to the firm. Her expertise in effectively managing large-scale litigation will complement that of our insurance subject matter experts. The combination of their insurance insight and class action litigation expertise offers a unique proposition for the market — one that will appeal to insurers and their clients alike,” proclaimed W+K chief executive partner David Kearney.
W+K financial lines practice leader Cain Jackson added that insurers, as well as the insured, need to take a “sophisticated approach” to defending class actions.
“With Amanda joining our team, we have broadened our offering by bringing the best of both worlds to our clients — outstanding class action litigation expertise and deep insurance product knowledge,” he said.
“Given the causes of large-scale litigation vary widely, this is particularly important in the class action arena.”
Ms Beattie has “defended many class actions”, the firm noted, including litigation involving environmental contamination and shareholder class actions, and has considerable expertise in large-scale commercial disputes, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and ASX investigations, and royal commissions.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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