Criminal lawyer Patrick Schmidt and family lawyer Ashleigh Barry have both been promoted to the Kells’ partnership, while experienced personal injury lawyer Melissa Pacheco Zizic has been promoted to special counsel after returning to the firm from RMB Lawyers in October.

Kells has six offices in Sydney and the Illawarra region of NSW, with 65 staff and now eight partners.

Kells’ managing partner, Paul Magagnino, said these promotions support the firm’s strategic goals: to grow its legal expertise and support Kells’ internal talent pipeline through career development and advancement.

“As a firm, we are committed to nurturing internal talent and providing our people with opportunities to grow within their roles and as future leaders of the firm,” he said.

“Patrick, Ashleigh and Melissa have continued to uphold Kells’ core values, display a high level of skill and talent in their areas of expertise, and deliver exceptional service, both to their clients and the firm.”

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.