The firm is aware that its largest-ever partner promotion round isn't particularly gender-diverse
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Clyde & Co has announced its largest-ever partner promotion round, and three among the group are from Australia.
Darryl Smith, Matthew Smith, and Tom Webb have been elevated to equity partners from special counsel. They are among the five lawyers promoted by the firm in the Asia-Pacific region, in a round that is made up of 24 new partners.
Darryl Smith, who is based in Melbourne, is an expert in insurance and reinsurance. Though he mostly defends directors’ and officers’ liability and professional indemnity insurance claims, he also defends class-action and representative proceedings. He also provides advice on coverage, as well as compliance and regulatory issues.
Sydney-based Matthew Smith has extensive experience in all areas of insurance law and a particular focus on construction matters for domestic and overseas insurers. Before becoming a lawyer, he was in leadership roles in the construction industry. He also has significant experience in intentional tort-related claims.
Webb, who is based in Perth, is a specialist in major projects and construction. He is admitted in England and Wales, New South Wales, and Western Australia. He has extensive experience in cross-border matters, especially in the energy, mining, infrastructure, and outsourcing sectors. He also specialises in mediation and expert determination.
Seventy percent of Clyde & Co’s latest partners are outside of the UK. This is also the first time the global firm has promoted more than one in the US, with six being elevated to partner in the country. The promotions come after 17 partner-level hires in the last 12 months.
Simon Konsta, Clyde & Co senior partner, said that the diversity of the promotion round in terms of sectors and geography is “especially pleasing,” but the firm notices the lack of gender diversity.
“We are conscious that the gender diversity in the group, which in recent rounds has generally been above 30%, has slipped this year, and we will be analysing the reasons behind that and redoubling the initiatives we have in place to ensure we are encouraging greater diversity at every level of our business,” Konsta said.
Clyde & Co’s other new equity partners are:
APAC
- Nicholas Sykes, Singapore (Insurance)
- Victor Yang, Shanghai (Insurance/aviation)
Europe
- Jesus Iglesias, Madrid (Corporate insurance/cyber)
- Daniel Kassing, Düsseldorf (Insurance)
MEA
- Saud Alsaab, Saudi Arabia (Insurance)
- John Lewis, Dubai (Insurance – D&O)
- Michael Morris, Dubai (Insurance)
- Michael Nelson, Dubai (Aviation)
UK
- Rebecca Armstrong, Guildford (Marine)
- Eleanor Coates, Guildford (Marine)
- Chris Eccles, Manchester – (Insurance - casualty)
- Dan Keys, London (Real estate)
- Viran Ram, Oxford (Insurance)
- Thomas van der Wijngaart, London (Aviation)
- David Blumenthal, London (Tax)
US
- Peter Dinunzio, New York (Insurance)
- Jeffrey Fegan, New York (Insurance)
- Vincent Palmiotto, Washington DC (Insurance)
- Bill Swallow, Chicago (Insurance)
- Corey Greenwald, New York (Marine)
- Jamison Narbaitz, San Francisco (Insurance)
