MacNamara has joined Holding Redlich’s national financial services practice group along with former Ashurst senior associate Adeline Hiew (pictured below).

Hiew will be based in Melbourne and MacNamara will work from Sydney.

MacNamara specialises in superannuation and funds management and is particularly focused on helping the super industry deal with large-scale regulatory reform.

“This is an interesting and exciting time for the industry and I am very pleased to be joining a formidable team of legal experts in the financial services industry,” said MacNamara.

Hiew’s practice covers broad financial services but with a particular emphasis on general and life insurance, superannuation, funds management and Australian financial services licensing.

She has offered advice on the development of financial services products, negotiating distribution arrangements and in the acquisition and merger of wealth management entities.

Hiew said she was attracted to Holding Redlich because of the firm’s well-established financial services practice, which offers commercial yet cost-effective legal advice to clients.

MacNamara is the latest in a series of defections from HDY. Sydney-based real estate partner Justin Madden left the firm in June, along with long-serving corporate partner James Lonie and two senior associates.

In February, financial services group head Liz Gray quit HDY after 18 years at the firm to join K&L Gates, taking three other HDY lawyers with her.

An early sign of trouble at HDY was the laying off of 13 Sydney-based staff in March.

HDY managing partner Sharon Cook will also be standing down later this month after nearly seven years leading the firm.

Holding Redlich made three lateral partner hires in September. Last month, the firm appointed M&A partner Dr Carl Hinze to the corporate and commercial group in Brisbane.