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DWF takes team of 53 from Hall & Wilcox
Following its appointment of nine partners from Hall & Wilcox late last year, DWF has confirmed that 53 of the partners’ former colleagues are also joining the firm.
Jerome Doraisamy
Last November, global practice DWF appointed nine partners from the London market team at national rival Hall & Wilcox.
The team of nine – led by Matt Curll and Rachael Arnold, also includes Paul Baxter, Hannah Peddie, Zoe Keith, Clare Campbell, Gemma Dehn, Tina Lung, and Ahranee Vijayaseelan – is set to be primarily based in Sydney but also located in Brisbane, Newcastle, and Melbourne.
Now, following continued discussions with the team members of those partners, DWF has confirmed the arrival of 53 colleagues for its Australian insurance team.
Lawyers Weekly has requested from DWF the names and job titles of those who have joined the firm.
The global practice said that “the majority” of the new arrivals started in their new roles earlier this week (3 February), while a handful had already joined, and the balance is expected to start later this month.
DWF boasts approximately 2,000 professionals in its global insurance services division. Across the entire practice, the global provider of integrated legal and business services has approximately 4,500 people, and recorded net revenue of £435 million in the year ending 30 April 2024.
The partners and the new arrivals, the firm continued, have a “highly complementary” client base of global insurers and London market-based insurance syndicates and are considered, DWF submitted, “one of the leading insurance litigation practices in Australia”.
Speaking about the appointments, DWF insurance services division chief executive Matthew Doughty said he is “delighted” to welcome the firm’s new Australian colleagues.
“It is a key market for our insurance business, and the arrival of this stellar team, combined with our recent acquisition of the leading claims management business Proclaim, demonstrates our commitment to strengthening our capabilities for the benefit of our clients in Australia, and globally,” he said.
DWF Australian managing director Matt Dudakov said: “This is an exciting time to join DWF in Australia.
“We have already driven dramatic growth in recent years, and these hires add further momentum to our success.
“We have more than doubled our headcount in the last six months alone as we respond to the needs of our clients and pursue our commitment to driving sustainable growth.”
Speaking about those joining the nine partners at DWF, Hall & Wilcox chief executive partner Graydon Dowd said that the team primarily worked with the nine departing partners, handling claims for London insurance syndicates.
“This, to a significant extent, was a discrete service in our much broader insurance practice, and we were expecting the team to leave with the partners,” he said.
“Our ability to service our insurance clients (across all general, statutory, professional, and specialised lines) is not impacted. Our people are continuing to provide exceptional service to our clients, with no disruptions.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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