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Meridian adds 2 Clyde & Co partners as new principals
National firm Meridian has continued its extraordinary growth in 2023 with the addition of another two principals to its insurance practice, who come across from global firm Clyde & Co – one of whom is bringing her team with her.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jacinta Long and Marcus O’Brien are both joining Meridian Lawyers from Clyde & Co, and Ms Long is bringing her team – special counsel Sarah Yau and associate Jackson Hayes – with her.
Mr O’Brien will be based in Meridian’s Melbourne office and brings “extensive” experience across most lines of insurance, and his practice has a strong focus on defending professional indemnity and D&O claims, acting for Australian and London market insurers on complex and challenging claims and coverage issues. He has worked at Clyde & Co for nearly eight years.
The pair will join the firm on Monday, 11 December.
The appointment of the two Clyde & Co partners as insurance principals continues what has been a mammoth year of growth for Meridian, including its launch in Canberra with a team from HWL Ebsworth, the entering of a strategic alliance with Singaporean firm Donaldson & Burkinshaw LLP, the nabbing of multiple teams from fellow BigLaw practice McCabes, and internal promotions of over a dozen professionals.
With the arrival of Mr O’Brien, Ms Long and her team, Meridian’s principal ranks have swelled to 34, and the firm’s number of hires has risen to 110 in this calendar year.
You can read Lawyers Weekly’s extensive coverage of Meridian’s growth in 2023, here.
Speaking about the hires, Meridian managing director Paul Baker (pictured) said: “Jacinta and Marcus are excellent additions to our principal and our national insurance practice.
“They are both held in high regard in the market, and their liability and financial lines expertise adds further depth to the insurance services we offer our clients.
“Jacinta and Marcus are part of the continued expansion of our national insurance capability, and I am delighted to welcome them to the business.”
Meridian was founded in 2004 and boasts over 200 staff across its six national offices, located in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, and Sydney.
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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