Wotton + Kearney

Firm Details:
Chief Executive Partner: David Kearney
New Zealand Managing Partner: Antony Holden
Number of partners: 66
Number of lawyers: 340+
Languages: English, German, Greek, Italian, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian, Vietnamese

Firm Overview:
Wotton + Kearney (W+K) is Australasia’s largest specialised insurance law and disputes team. Founded in 2002, the firm is one of the region’s undisputed leaders in providing legal services to the insurance industry and has been ranked as a Band 1 firm in Chambers for 11 consecutive years. It has more than 340 specialist insurance lawyers across offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide, Auckland and Wellington. Wotton + Kearney is also a founding member of Legalign Global, an international alliance of 5 best-in-region insurance law firms.

Main Areas of Practice:

Cyber Risk  

D&O / Class Actions  

Defamation 

Employment & Workplace Risk  

Environmental Liability  

Financial Lines Insurance  

General Liability Insurance  

Health Law 

Marine & Transport Risks  

Product Liability Insurance  

Property, Energy & Construction Insurance 

General Liability: 

22 Partners, 120 Lawyers

W+K has one of Australasia’s largest general liability practices, specialising in personal injury (including catastrophic injury claims), third party property damage, product liability and legacy/special issues claims. The firm also has senior specialists in the niche area of sports, leisure & entertainment claims.

Contact: Charles Simon

Tel: +61 2 8273 9911

Email: [email protected]

Financial Lines:  

15 Partners, 100 Lawyers

W+K is known as a market leader in advising on financial lines claims, including directors & officers, professional liability, construction PI, cyber & privacy risk, defamation, financial institutions, workplace/employment practices liability, environmental liability, management liability and regulatory investigations. The firm regularly acts in high-profile matters and Class Actions.

Contact: Cain Jackson

Tel: +61 3 9604 7901

Email: [email protected]

Health Law:  

7 Partners, 12 Lawyers

W+K has established one of Australia's largest specialist health law practices with the recent appointment of partners from within the health industry and the acquisition of boutique Melbourne health law firm Ball + Partners.

Contact: Chris Spain

Tel: +61 3 9604 7956

Email: [email protected]

Property, Energy & Infrastructure:  

7 Partners, 20 Lawyers

W+K has one of the region’s largest specialist teams operating in the major loss property space across the energy, power, mining, construction and infrastructure sectors. They advise on first party property, business interruption, contract works, commercial & industrial ISR, and subrogated recoveries. W+K has also acted on some of the largest and most complicated natural disaster claims in the region.

Contact: Adam Chylek

Tel: +61 2 8273 9940

Email: [email protected]

New Zealand Team: 

13 Partners, 40 Lawyers

W+K is one of New Zealand’s largest specialist insurance law firms. Their New Zealand team is regarded for its strength across major insurance product lines including general liability, professional indemnity, complex property and MDBI claims, employment practices liability, cyber and privacy risk, product liability and subrogated recoveries. They also have one of New Zealand’s leading medico-legal practices, led by partners Sean O’Sullivan, Adam Holloway and Aimee Credin.

Contact: Antony Holden

Tel: +64 4 260 4286

Email: [email protected]

International Work:  

Wotton + Kearney works with many of the global insurance leaders doing business in Australia and New Zealand. The firm has an active presence in the London and Singapore markets and provides broader international coverage through its membership of Legalign Global– the largest global alliance of law firms focused on the insurance market. The New Zealand team also handles claims from the Pacific Islands.

Key Clients:  

In the past year, W+K has worked with more than 140 insurers, re-insurers, underwriters, brokers, insureds and third-party claims managers.

www.wottonkearney.com.au