Collaboration adds choice for clients: Clare McNamara, Wotton Kearney government practice head
Under a new strategic collaborative partnership between Wotton Kearney and SynLaw, Commonwealth agencies can brief Wotton Kearney lawyers, some of whom already have experience working with Commonwealth legal teams, for public law and associated matters, along with SynLaw.
“This collaboration is about working together so we can seamlessly support Commonwealth agencies, in a way that is using the existing legal services panel framework,” said Bobbi Campbell, SynLaw managing partner, in a media release.
“We’re seeing growing demand from Commonwealth agencies for experienced advisers who understand risk, operate comfortably in high‑scrutiny environments and can deliver at scale,” added Clare McNamara, head of Wotton Kearney’s government practice.
In its media release, Wotton Kearney shared that the new arrangement aims to provide Commonwealth agencies with immediate access to expanded public law capability via a pathway approved by a legal services panel.
“This collaboration gives our Commonwealth clients more choice and earlier access to that capability,” said McNamara, a litigator with a broad background in commercial litigation and public law.
McNamara’s experience specifically covers the departments of defence, health and ageing, foreign affairs, and treasury, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, and the Australian Defence Force’s inspector-general.
McNamara explained that the new collaboration is part of its efforts to build and expand its government practice across the country, as well as its Commonwealth-focused capability. Campbell added that the partnership shows a strong alignment between Wotton Kearney and SynLaw.
“Wotton Kearney is a trusted partner with a clear track record advising government clients in complex, high‑stakes matters,” Campbell said in the media release.
Established in 2002, Wotton Kearney is an Australian firm with over 100 partners and more than 750 legal professionals throughout Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand.
Wotton Kearney applies a national, integrated approach to its work on government legal services. Through its government practice, the firm assists agencies at all levels with managing legal risk, attaining their policy goals, and navigating complex environments across various legal issues.
The experience of lawyers in Wotton Kearney’s government team encompasses appointments to the whole of Australian government legal services panel and advice to clients across the Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments.
