Over 60% of the firm's newly promoted lawyers are women
Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has elevated 36 of its Australia-based lawyers to senior roles in its latest cycle of promotions, including 3 new partners and 13 new special counsel.
According to NRF, over 60% of the newly promoted lawyers are women. The promotions span several practice groups across the Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney offices.
Making partners are Jo Feldman, Troy McKelvie and Ben Wilford. Australia CEP Alison Deitz described the new partners as lawyers who have “developed expertise and strong client relationships in their chosen industries, including government, international trade and international arbitration, energy and resources, and infrastructure.”
Feldman works from Perth, focusing on disputes and government. She has played a role in many of Australia’s free trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and agreements with China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and the UK.
Also based in Perth, McKelvie is part of the energy, projects and resources team. He has a wealth of in-house experience, and has collaborated with both in-house legal and commercial teams in risk management initiatives.
Sydney-based Wilford is a commercial litigation expert who focuses on regulatory enforcement, criminal prosecutions and complex investigations. He is knowledgeable in trial litigation and public inquiries, and his clients hail from major government agencies, regulators and multinationals.
Meanwhile, the new special counsel are as follows:
- Rohan Sridhar (Melbourne) − corporate, M&A and securities
- Shannon Walker (Perth) − employment and labour
- Naomi Field (Brisbane) − environment and planning
- Juliette King (Brisbane) − environment and planning
- Nicola Targett (Sydney) − environment and planning
- Jenna Scott (Brisbane) − financial restructuring and insolvency
- Hoda Solaymani-Jamal (Melbourne) − financial restructuring and insolvency
- Kellie Link (Perth) − financial restructuring and insolvency
- Nick White (Perth) − financial restructuring and insolvency
- Clare Samson (Melbourne) – knowledge
- Daniel Allman (Sydney) − litigation and disputes
- Lisa Loi (Sydney) − projects and construction
- Matthew Rose (Melbourne) − risk and compliance
NRF also welcomed 20 new senior associates:
- Tina Teo (Sydney) − banking and finance
- Mauricio Da Rocha (Perth) − corporate, M&A and securities
- Timothy Chan (Sydney) − corporate, M&A and securities
- Jonathan Muncey (Sydney) − corporate, M&A and securities
- Merren Taylor (Sydney) − corporate, M&A and securities
- Matt Wichlinski (Brisbane) − employment and labour
- Jessica Howe (Brisbane) − environment and planning
- Sera Erikozu (Sydney) − financial restructuring and insolvency
- Leo Freckelton (Melbourne) − financial restructuring and insolvency
- Nakita Wilkinson (Melbourne) − financial restructuring and insolvency
- Michael Doyle (Canberra) – government
- Alice Blackburn (Brisbane) − litigation and disputes
- Mrithula Shanker (Sydney) − litigation and disputes
- Sarah Wong (Melbourne) – projects and construction
- Lachlan Wood (Melbourne) – projects and construction
- Soorim Cha (Sydney) − projects and construction
- Gail Reade (Brisbane) – real estate
- Jessica Jacaj (Melbourne) – real estate
- Elyse Athanasopoulos (Sydney) − real estate
- Aleksandra Wojtasiewicz (Melbourne) − risk and compliance
The promotion cycle follows NRF’s announcement that Melinda Bell, formerly of Hall & Wilcox, is joining the Melbourne partnership. Bell is an employment and labour expert.
“The new Federal Government’s industrial relations agenda is sweeping and will have extensive impacts on clients. Reforms may pose substantial risk to some business models, and all businesses will have to navigate highly technical changes,” Deitz said. “Coming on top of challenges organisations face in managing their workforces in the COVID-19 environment, our clients will experience unprecedented levels of complexity in how they manage workplace related risks. Melinda has a long history of providing this advice to international and domestic clients, and will be a strong addition to our Melbourne and national employment and labour teams.”
