Russell Kennedy promotes 19, including 3 to principal
National law firm Russell Kennedy is the latest BigLaw practice to unveil a promotions round, with three joining its principal ranks and 16 other lawyers being elevated to more senior roles.
Russell Kennedy’s partnership has reached 50, with three lawyers – Elizabeth Flanagan, Kate Littlewood, and Mandi Xu (all pictured) being named as its newest principals.
Women now represent 52 per cent of principals at the firm, RK said in a statement, up from 28 per cent when the firm’s first gender equality strategy was released in 2017.
When lateral hires James Lofting and David Vorchheimer join the firm later this month – with their team from BigLaw rival HWL Ebsworth, as reported in late June by Lawyers Weekly – the firm’s principal numbers will have a 50-50 gender split.
Elsewhere, the firm has promoted Krystal Pellow and Kelly Ralph to special counsel, and Joanna Petousis, Courtney Donnan, Christopher Littlewood, Morgan Smithe, Anna-Lisa Ryan, Jaqueline Wilson, and Rebecca Olle to senior associate.
It has also elevated Claire Robinson, Stephanie Sammut, Nick Shying, Michael Webster, Matthew Taylor, Harrison Gray, and Emily Tang to associate.
All promotions were effective as of 1 July.
Speaking about the promotions, RK managing director Paul Gleeson said: “Congratulations to Elizbeth, Kate, and Mandi, it is great to see our people excel in their careers and develop into firm leaders.
“These promotions not only celebrate the individual achievements of these outstanding lawyers but also reinforce our unwavering commitment to investing in people so they can reach their full potential.
“These figures also demonstrate the firm’s commitment to gender equity and are indicative of the hard work being done across the firm.”
![Jerome Doraisamy](https://res.cloudinary.com/momentum-media-group-pty-ltd/image/upload/v1706068886/Lawyers%20Weekly/Jerome-Doraisamy-2023-square2_ae7qeu.jpg)
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.
You can email Jerome at: