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Hamilton Locke takes team of 11 from Clyde & Co
National law firm Hamilton Locke had appointed two partners from global rival Clyde & Co (including its former Australian managing partner) and nine other lawyers, in a boon for its ESG and WHS offerings.
Jerome Doraisamy
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Partners Michael Tooma and Kiri Jervis have left Clyde & Co for Hamilton Locke, bringing nine lawyers with them to the national firm’s Sydney office.
Mr Tooma was, between 2017 and 2022, the managing partner in Australia of Clyde & Co. He has taken up the role of head of environmental, social and governance (ESG) at Hamilton Locke. Ms Jervis served at Clyde & Co for nearly eight years, nearly four of which she was a partner.
The two partners were joined by special counsel Melissa Doran and Laura Driscoll, lawyers Samantha Ryu, Miriam Asar, Nicola Irwin Faulks, Lucy Masters, Keenan Smith, and Jackie Lazar, and graduate Isabel Harrison.
The team of 11 was also joined by a paralegal and executive assistant. All started in their new roles on 1 November.
The news follows the firm’s promotion of 15 professionals in mid-June, its addition of a corporate partner in July, and the appointment of a founding partner in its Brisbane office in late March.
It also follows a series of team poachings in recent months, including: Clyde & Co taking a financial services regulatory team from Gadens in May, Bird & Bird taking a team from Watson Mangioni in July, Piper Alderman taking a team from EY in the same month, and Cowell Clarke taking a team from Piper Alderman in August.
Hamilton Locke, which forms part of HPX Group, has more than 60 partners and close to 400 staff across offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle and Auckland.
Speaking about the appointments, Hamilton Locke managing partner Nick Humphrey proclaimed: “Attracting Michael and Kiri and their team to our firm is a vote of confidence in what we have to offer as a workplace, and to our clients.
“I’ve known Michael for many years, and he shares the same values around culture as well as the entrepreneurial spirit that are the hallmarks of Hamilton Locke. We’re very happy that he, Kiri and their team have chosen to join our firm.”
Mr Tooma noted: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Hamilton Locke, which is showing the market what’s possible through prioritising people and culture as the foundation of a great client experience.
“My team and I look forward to being part of the firm and building on its success as more clients embrace the Hamilton Locke way of law done differently.”
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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