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White & Case takes senior pair from Clayton Utz
Global law firm White & Case has launched a global financial restructuring and insolvency (FRI) practice in Australia with the addition of two partners who have come across from Clayton Utz.
Lauren Croft
The new practice comes with the addition of new partners Timothy Sackar and Jillian McAleese in Sydney, both of which join from BigLaw firm Clayton Utz.
Ms McAleese brings more than 10 years of experience to the firm and was a special counsel at Clayton Utz. She has been involved in some of the most significant cross-border and domestic restructuring deals in recent years, advising both debtors and creditors on distressed investment and debt trading, security analysis and contingency planning and debt recovery.
White & Case office executive partner in Sydney, Kate Perumal, said that the launch of the new practice came at a time of growth for the firm.
“The arrival of Timothy and Jillian represents another significant broadening of our capabilities in Australia and a further strengthening of our bench in Sydney, as White & Case continues to invest in the Australian market,” she said.
“It follows the recent launch in Sydney of our Australian antitrust practice and our Australian debt finance practice, as well as the expansion in Sydney of our mergers and acquisitions capabilities in Australia.”
White & Case partner Eugene Man, regional section head, Asia-Pacific banking and capital markets, said that the two “highly regarded lawyers” from Clayton Utz are a good fit for the launch of the FRI practice in Australia.
“We are launching our FRI practice in Australia with two highly regarded lawyers with stellar market reputations built on strong and successful practices that have exciting synergies with our existing capabilities in Asia-Pacific and globally,” he said.
“Timothy is a recognised restructuring leader with a market-leading practice who has advised on some of the most significant matters in Australia and other key global markets. Jillian is a talented senior lawyer and rising star of the Australian restructuring market, with a track record of advising on some of the most important recent cross-border and domestic restructurings.”
White & Case partner Tom Lauria, head of the firm’s global financial restructuring and insolvency practice, added that “in today’s ever-shrinking world, large corporate and financial restructuring projects cross multiple jurisdictional boundaries more often than not” – thus the launch of the Australian practice.
“As a recognised leader in the space, we have long been focused on building global expertise and capacity, and we regularly advise clients around the world in a wide variety of business and industry sectors on all aspects of complex restructurings, workouts and insolvencies,” he said.
“Turbulent markets are driving an increase in corporate liability management and restructuring activities. The addition of two new members to our restructuring team in Australia, with strong expertise throughout the Pacific Rim, marks an important next step in our continuing commitment to serve our clients across the full spectrum of the distressed continuum.”
Lastly, partner Don Baker, a member of the firm’s global executive committee, added that White & Case would continue to “develop its impressive presence in Australia”.
“Adding a first-class financial restructuring practice is an important extension to our platform as we continue to expand the services we provide to our clients in Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
