Legal Business

Hill Dickinson closes Sheffield office as claims team jumps ship to Kennedys

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Kennedys has hired a 24-strong casualty claims team from Hill Dickinson’s Sheffield office, resulting in the closure of the latter’s operations in the region.

The team, which will bolster Kennedy’s own Sheffield office, consists of three partners and 21 support staff. The partners leading the group are Alan Dury, Suzanne Wilkinson and Paul Bedford, who all joined Hill Dickinson from DLA Piper in 2013. Collectively, they specialise in defending casualty claims related to disease and catastrophic injury matters.

The team’s transfer to Kennedys is expected to be completed on 3 April 2017.

Hill Dickinson chief operating officer Iain Johnston told Legal Business: ‘We’re trying to make sure, whatever we do, the client gets the right level of service for as long as possible and that our people and staff get as smooth a transition as possible to the next stage of their careers.

‘As a firm we’re committed to continuing our growth strategy and our regional presence is really important, but in this particular case it was the right decision on balance.’

Kennedys senior partner Nick Thomas (pictured) said: ‘Alan is thrilled to be bringing the entire Sheffield casualty team with him. Not only do we share the same clients, which makes this a fantastic fit, Kennedys’ international network is a distinct advantage for the team.’

The firm’s Sheffield office head Suzanne Liversidge added: ‘Following our recent global expansion, we’re continuing that growth strategy with a focus on both domestic and international expansion from Europe to further afield.’

Thomas’s firm has embarked upon an expansive start to 2017, opening new offices in both Italy and Mexico since the start of the year. Mexican-born partner Michael Hennessy is heading up the new Mexico office, with Egidio Rinaldi leading a team of nine partners across offices in Milan, Rome and Bologna.

tom.baker@legalease.co.uk

Read more: ‘Is Kennedys keeping up? Insurance player claims innovation and expansion provide the right cover’

 

Legal Business

Nick Thomas wins uncontested ballot for another five-year term as Kennedys’ senior partner

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Leadership Kennedys

Insurance specialist Kennedys‘ longstanding senior partner Nick Thomas has been re-elected to serve a fifth five-year term. It is understood that the election was held this week and Thomas (pictured) was elected unopposed. His new term commences February 2017.

Thomas, who became senior partner of the firm in 1996, currently carries out that role in addition to chief executive duties after previous chief executive Guy Stobart stood down at the end of 2014. There are no plans to replace Stobart, with Thomas supported instead by a roster of directors.

In his time as senior partner, Thomas has overseen the firm’s growth into an international insurance player, with offices in locations including Sydney, Hong Kong, Brazil and Miami.

Kennedys carried out extensive international expansion last year, particularly in Latin America, opening offices in Mexico, Chile and Columbia, as well as greenfield sites in Brazil and Peru.

Just last week the firm continued its aggressive global expansion by entering into a formal association with Italian firm Studio Legale Rinaldi Associati (RASS), providing the firm with offices in Milan, Rome and Bologna.

Recently the firm has also opened offices in Russia and Denmark and formed associations in Norway, Sweden and Argentina bringing the firm’s total number of offices to six in continental Europe, as well as seven associate offices, including Paris and Warsaw.

Additionally, the insurance specialist is planning to more than double its office space in Dublin, as well as boosting its marine and shipping departments through a City merger with boutique firm Waltons & Morse, which added a 28-strong legal team and five partners.

kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk

Read more: ‘Is Kennedys keeping up? Insurance player claims innovation and expansion provide the right cover’

Legal Business

‘International reach’: Kennedys continues global expansion with Europe association

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Europe Kennedys

Kennedys has continued its aggressive global expansion by entering into a formal association with Italian firm Studio Legale Rinaldi Associati (RASS), providing the firm with offices in Milan, Rome and Bologna.

According to Kennedys, formalising the relationship was a result of an increased volume of cross-border and international referrals. RASS, which has nine partners and is led by Egidio Rinaldi, provides insurance claims, coverage and litigation advice, particularly through their property and casualty practice.

Kennedys’ senior partner Nick Thomas (pictured) said the tie-up will enable the firm to provide clients with strong litigation and dispute resolution services in Italy and focus on insurance coverage issues and claims defence work.

He added: ‘Expanding our international reach remains key to our strategy and this association with RASS brings more opportunities for our global network.’

Kennedys carried out extensive international expansion last year, particularly in Latin America, opening offices in Chile and Columbia, as well as greenfield sites in Brazil and Peru.

Recently the firm has also opened offices in Russia and Denmark and formed associations in Norway, Sweden and Argentina bringing the firm’s total number of offices to six in continental Europe, as well as seven associate offices, including Paris and Warsaw.

Additionally, the insurance specialist is planning to more than double its office space in Dublin, as well as boosting its marine and shipping departments through a City merger with boutique firm Waltons & Morse, which added a 28-strong legal team and five partners.

Legal Business revealed in September that Thomas is to stand uncontested for a fifth five-year term as Kennedys’ senior partner. The election will be held this month, with voting closing in a few weeks and the new term commencing February.

kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk

Read more: ‘Is Kennedys keeping up? Insurance player claims innovation and expansion provide the right cover’

Legal Business

Clydes, DAC and Kennedys named as AXA finalises UK claims roster

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Adviser reviews Clyde & CoDAC BeachcroftKennedys
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The UK legal arm of French Insurer AXA has finalised its UK claims roster, with Clyde & Co, DAC Beachcroft, Horwich Farrelly, Kennedys, Keoghs and Taylor Rose all winning spots on the panel.

Commenting on the review, which was held in-house, a spokesperson for AXA said: ‘We are delighted to have completed the review of our claims legal panel and look forward to working with our new roster in the future. Claims are at the very heart of our business and having the right legal representation in this area is fundamental to our continued success.’ The panel will remain in place for two to three years.

Last year it emerged that AXA was set to look at its relationships with Magic Circle and international firms and how they can work more effectively for the company. It followed a review of the UK specific ‘business-as-usual’ panel, which was cut from seven to two firms and compromises Pinsent Masons and DAC Beachcroft.

Headed up by longstanding group general counsel (GC) Edward Davis (pictured), the objective was to explore new efficiencies with the premium fee firms it currently works with – including Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Hogan Lovells and Norton Rose Fulbright was sparked after the 35-lawyer AXA UK legal team carried out a substantive review during 2014.

Led by Davis and department heads, chief counsel AXA healthcare Sam Patel, chief counsel AXA insurance Mark Gardner, and general counsel wealth Emily Coupland, the team achieved a 10% reduction in external legal spend and, internally, a 20% reduction in the number of full time equivalent staff.

An ongoing feat, AXA UK’s legal function has reduced its external legal spend by 35% annually since 2011 with total legal spend currently less than £10m and around 70% of that spent in-house.

Recent panel reviews include Lloyds Banking Group, which finalised its UK legal roster in a review which saw DLA Piper and Norton Rose Fulbright losing their spots as the bank’s core panel shrunk from ten to eight firms.

kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Is Kennedys keeping up? Insurance player claims innovation and expansion provide the right cover

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Profile Kennedys
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Kathryn McCann and Victoria Young discuss Kennedys’ prospects with longstanding senior partner Nick Thomas

‘I’d like to tell you that Kennedys is a crap practice,’ one law firm leader tells Legal Business, ‘but it is reasonably good. The unfortunate thing is that it follows rather than leads in its market and that’s a strategic disadvantage.’

Legal Business

Nick Thomas to stand uncontested for a fifth five-year term as Kennedys’ senior partner

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Leadership Kennedys
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Longstanding senior partner Nick Thomas is to stand uncontested for a fifth five-year term as senior partner at insurance specialist Kennedys.

It is understood that nominations are now closed and soundings for any potential challengers were made a few months ago with no other partners choosing to put their hat in the ring.

The election will be held in January 2017, with voting closing in late January and the new term commencing February 2017.

Thomas (pictured), who became senior partner of the firm in 1996, currently carries out that role in addition to chief executive duties after previous chief executive Guy Stobart stood down at the end of 2014. There are no plans to replace Stobart, with Thomas supported instead by a roster of directors.

In his time as senior partner, Thomas has overseen the firm’s growth into an international insurance player, with offices in locations including Sydney, Hong Kong, Brazil and Miami.

This year has seen Kennedys embark on aggressive expansion, opening five new offices in Copenhagen, Brazil, Peru, Chile and Colombia.

Just last week, Legal Business revealed that the insurance specialist was more than doubling its office space in Dublin, in a decision which the firm says was made before the UK’s vote to leave the EU.

The new space will be located in Dublin 2, in a river-side location which is 13,300sq ft., more than double the size of the current office. Kennedys is currently located in Ulysses House in Dublin 1.

The firm has had a presence in the Irish capital since 2011, following a merger with long-standing referral firm O’Hare O’Connor Walshe.

Additionally, last month Kennedys boosted its marine and shipping departments through a City merger with boutique firm Waltons & Morse, adding a 28-strong legal team and five partners.

The merger, which will go through on November 1, will add approximately £11m to Kennedy’s top line, making it a £150m business in terms of revenue.

In June, Kennedys posted a turnover boost of 7% to £138.8m for 2015/16, with its Asia Pacific offices performing particularly strongly.

kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Doubling in Dublin: Expansive Kennedys moves Irish outpost to accommodate growth

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Following a wave of expansion in Latin America, insurance specialist Kennedys is to more than double its office space in Dublin in a decision the firm says was made before the UK’s vote to leave the EU.

The new space will be located in Dublin 2, in a river-side location which is 13,300sq ft., more than double the size of the current office. Kennedys is currently located in Ulysses House in Dublin 1.

The firm has had a presence in the Irish capital since 2011, following a merger with long-standing referral firm O’Hare O’Connor Walshe.

The office currently has almost 50 staff, including nine partners covering dispute resolution, insurance, marine, financial lines/professional indemnity, casualty, and commercial services including insolvency, real estate and funds services.

Already this year the Dublin office has hired a number of partners including insurance disputes specialist Daniel Scanlon from Maples & Calder and insurance liability expert Marian Brennan from Corrigan & Corrigan.

Dublin is becoming an increasingly attractive location to law firms who are looking to capitalise on the post-Brexit market. Last month Legal Business revealed that Pinsent Masons was eyeing up a Dublin base, to complement its existing offering in Belfast and provide a full UK and Ireland presence for the firm.

Since the firm’s merger with McGrigors in 2012, Pinsents’ international strategy has largely revolved around launching sector-focused Greenfield sites, with partners from local firms.

Similarly it is understood that a number of UK firms are considering a Dublin base following Britain’s decision to leave the EU, with financial services and funds being two areas becoming especially lucrative following the Brexit vote.

In a separate move, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Eversheds have made up the bulk of UK admissions to the Irish bar so far in 2016, as the number soared to over 300 after the Brexit vote.

Freshfields has registered approximately 130 lawyers so far this year, while Eversheds has had about 100 lawyers admitted. Although the Irish Law society would not comment on specific firms, it did reveal that there has been a total of 319 admissions in 2016 – up from the figure of 186 before the vote.

According to the Irish Law Society, since the referendum, it has received approximately 30 initial queries per day from UK solicitors.

kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

‘Very like-minded’: Kennedys picks up marine specialists in Waltons & Morse takeover

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Legal mergers Kennedys
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Kennedys is to boost its marine and shipping departments through a City merger with boutique firm Waltons & Morse.

The international firm will pick up Waltons 28-strong legal team, which includes five partners. The merger will add approximately £11m to Kennedys top line, making it a £150m business in terms of revenue when the merger goes through on November 1.

All Waltons staff will move from the firm’s Gracechurch Street offices to Kennedys’ office on Fenchurch Avenue.

Waltons managing partner Chris Dunn will join the Kennedys board and head up a new international team: Kennedys Marine.

The new team will be 30-strong, with 12 partners split between the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Australia and the Americas.

Both Waltons and Kennedys share a similar client base, working with insurers, reinsurers, ship owners and commodities trading companies.

Dunn said: ‘I’ve known many of the partners at Kennedys for nearly 10 years. We work for a lot of the same Lloyd’s syndicates and insurers. This is a merger of two very like-minded businesses.’

Kennedys said the merger was unanimously accepted by both partnerships.

The growth of Kennedys’ City office follows a year of expansion driven by new international offices. The firm has opened five new offices in Copenhagen, Brazil, Peru, Chile and Colombia in the last year alone.

Kennedys senior partner Nick Thomas (pictured) said: ‘This merger is an excellent fit for us making an instant impact in marine insurance and shipping and allowing us to further our growth ambitions in areas where our clients need it.’

In June, Kennedys posted a turnover boost of 7% to £138.8m for 2015/16, with its Asia Pacific offices performing particularly strongly.

matthew.field@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

‘Driven by client need’: Kennedys continues aggressive LatAm expansion with Chile and Colombia offices

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Latin America Kennedys
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Kennedys has continued with its aggressive Latin America (LatAm) expansion, opening two more offices in Chile and Colombia, following the opening in July of its first greenfield sites on the continent in Brazil and Peru.

In Chile, Kennedy’s has merged with its former associate firm Sateler Depolo Diemoz Abogados, a 13-strong team headed up by partners Ricardo Sateler, Radoslav Depolo and Mario Diemoz based in Santiago. The office, which specialises in litigation and arbitration has a particular focus on insurance claims and coverage, and also provides e-commerce and consumer law, real estate and corporate finance advice.

The office in Columbia is another greenfield site, led by Royal and Sun Alliance’s general counsel in Columbia Mónica Tocarruncho Mantilla (pictured) and DLA Piper Martínez Neira’s Andrea Londoño Agudelo, who headed up DLA’s Columbian insurance law practice. The office, which is also being launched with two associates, will focus on claims, coverage and corporate law for the insurance level.

Kennedys senior partner Nick Thomas said: ‘These latest office openings further reinforce our strategy to establish a presence in key Latin American jurisdictions. They complement our well established Latin America hub in Miami by providing on-the-ground expertise.’

‘Our growth is, as ever, driven by client need and market opportunities, and by developing both our local and international capabilities, Kennedys is improving the service it provides to local insurers and London market insurers too.’

In July, insurance specialist Kennedys opened its first greenfield sites on the continent with offices in São Paulo, Brazil and Lima, Peru.

The firm has a number of existing LatAm tie-ups, forming its fifth association in February in Argentina with local firm Alberto Bunge & Asociados (ABA).

The firm also has an association with Mexican firm Bufete Solís Marín, as well as Chilean insurance boutique Sateler Depolo Diemoz.

Last month Kennedys announced solid revenue growth of 7% for this financial year from £129.9m to £138.8m. In addition, the firm’s UK figure has topped £100m, with turnover at £102m from £99.6m.

kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Kennedys latest to expand in Latin America with Brazil and Peru openings

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Latin America Kennedys
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Insurance specialist Kennedys has continued its foray into Latin America (LatAm), opening its first greenfield sites on the continent with offices in both Brazil and Peru.

In Brazil Kennedys is opening an office in São Paulo which will be led by Fabio Torres, who will offer consultancy and risk management advice to (re)insurance clients. In addition Kennedys will keep its existing formal association with TM Law, in both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, of which Torres was a lead partner. TM Law practices civil, commercial and corporate law, with a special focus on the (re)insurance industry.

In Peru the firm is opening an office in Lima, which will be headed up by Marco Rivera Noya (pictured) who joins from Osterling Abogados. He will be supported by associate Jorge Mere, who has transferred from Kennedys’ Miami office, and attorneys Noriko Hasegawa and Alonso Barreda. The office in Lima will focus on insurance and reinsurance, with a particular emphasis on regulatory matters and claims requiring local and international arbitration

Senior partner Nick Thomas said that Kennedys would continue to look for growth driven by client need and strong market opportunities in the region.

Kennedys Americas head Alex Guillamont added: ‘Brazil and Peru are two of the top five economies in Latin America in terms of GDP and (re)insurance premium, and a number of our global (re)insurance clients have offices in these important jurisdictions.

‘After several decades of providing legal advice from London, Madrid and Miami, the time has come to take the next step and be even closer to our clients to optimise the quality of our services.’

The firm has a number of existing LatAm tie-ups, forming its fifth association in February in Argentina with local firm Alberto Bunge & Asociados (ABA).

The firm also has an association with Mexican firm Bufete Solís Marín, as well as Chilean insurance boutique Sateler Depolo Diemoz.

Last month Kennedys announced solid revenue growth of 7% for this financial year from £129.9m to £138.8m. In addition, the firm’s UK figure has topped £100m, with turnover at £102m from £99.6m.

According to the firm, the strongest growth was in the Asia Pacific region, with the firm’s Singapore office increasing 144% from £3.2m to £7.8m as a result of strong aviation growth and Kennedys’ joint law venture agreement with Singapore firm Legal Solutions which the firm secured in March 2015.

kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk