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Bakers banking and finance partner joins Clayton Utz
National law firm Clayton Utz has moved to strengthen its banking and finance ranks with the appointment of a partner from global rival Baker McKenzie.
Jerome Doraisamy
Brendan Smith (pictured) has joined Clayton Utz, following two and a half years at Baker McKenzie. Prior to this, he was a senior associate and special counsel at King & Wood Mallesons and an associate at Linklaters.
His expertise, Clayton Utz outlined in a statement, is in project finance, particularly in major road, rail, airport, and social infrastructure projects, as well as major energy projects, and he has advised on transactions across Australia and in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the UK.
The news follows the firm’s appointment of the former banking and capital markets lead at EY as a new partner in February, as well as the firm’s addition of a real estate partner from Ashurst in January, as well as the promotion of eight of its lawyers to its partnership at the beginning of December and the hiring of a restructuring and insolvency partner from global rival Jones Day in late October.
Speaking about the hire, Clayton Utz chief executive partner Emma Covacevich said Smith’s appointment comes as Australia examines its current and future energy and infrastructure needs.
“Brendan has years of experience in Australia and overseas advising on complex financial transactions in industries critical to Australia’s development,” she said.
“With the huge portfolio of infrastructure and energy projects on the horizon in Australia, Brendan’s skill set will be essential as we support our clients to navigate the complexities of these financing arrangements.”
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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