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McCabes adds another team from HBA Legal, principal from PwC
Fast-growing BigLaw firm McCabes has expanded its employment, workplace health and safety practice with the appointment of a Brisbane-based principal and his team from fellow national practice HBA Legal and a Sydney-based senior lawyer from PwC as a principal for its Sydney office.
Jerome Doraisamy
In mid-February, Lawyers Weekly reported that McCabes has bolstered its insurance ranks in Brisbane, taking 10 professionals from HBA Legal, which has six offices nationally.
Now, this brand can report that McCabes has taken a second team from HBA, this time for its employment, workplace health and safety practice. Damian Hegarty has joined the BigLaw firm as a principal, having most recently served as a partner at HBA. Prior to this, he was a principal at DWF.
Hegarty has also brought consultant Andrew Ross, special counsel Carmen Chapman, paralegal Thomas Farry, and legal secretary Kathryn Healy with him to McCabes.
The team will be based in the firm’s Brisbane office and have now all commenced in their new roles.
Elsewhere, Melini Pillay has also joined the firm as a principal in its employment, workplace health and safety practice. She will be based in the firm’s Sydney office.
She has joined from PwC, where she served as the employee relations lead in the office of the general counsel at PwC. Before this, she was a senior employment legal counsel at AMP.
Pillay joined the firm at the end of February.
Speaking about the “significant” appointments, McCabes managing principal Andrew Lacey said: “Supporting our clients at the highest standard requires experienced, proven professionals, and the appointment of Melini in our Sydney office and Damian and his team in Brisbane, reinforce our commitment to partnering with organisations for a strong, healthy, and compliant workplace.
“McCabes’ commercial division has always been strong, and the additional appointments in employment, workplace health and safety to work alongside Tim McDonald, will ensure that we can offer a deep level of capability to an organisation of any size.”
Hegarty said: “Everyone in my team is committed to establishing a formidable presence for McCabes in Brisbane, and we are excited to hit the ground running immediately.”
Pillay said: “It’s certainly an exciting time to take on the role of principal in the firm’s employment practice group and build on the strong, results-focused reputation that it has gained.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
You can email Jerome at:
