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Gilchrist Connell promotes new principal in SA
National law firm Gilchrist Connell has promoted a senior lawyer and special counsel to principal in South Australia.
Lauren Croft
Effective 1 January 2025, Zoe Dempster has been elevated to principal after first joining Gilchrist Connell in 2017.
Dempster has extensive experience acting for insurers, self-insured organisations, government clients and employers and has worked with clients across a broad range of areas, including professional indemnity, public liability, employment, and worker’s compensation.
This comes after Gilchrist Connell’s chief people officer Belinda Cohen was, last month, revealed to be the firm’s next CEO, as well as the firm’s promotion round in early July, its naming of two new principals in late June, its hiring of four new special counsel in early June, and its addition of three senior lawyers from BigLaw rival Colin Biggers & Paisley in mid-June.
Dempster’s promotion, managing principal Richard Wood said, is “gratifying on a number of levels”.
“On a personal level, Zoe is a superstar, and the opportunity to recognise her achievements in this way is particularly pleasing,” he said.
“For our clients, having someone of Zoe’s calibre in our principal ranks is a tremendous asset. Her expertise, level-headed approach and commercial acumen are valued by her clients and peers alike.”
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.
