DMAW Lawyers has promoted Susanne Reynolds and Peter Kupniewski to senior associates of the firm. Reynolds works in dispute resolution and advisory. The firm said Kupniewski continues to grow the practice in the areas of capital raisings, floats and acquisitions, corporate advice, mining and resources.

Deacons has promoted nine senior associates to partner, and taken on one new partner from outside the firm. The new partners are: Con Boulougouris and Fiona Wallwork (corporate and commercial, Sydney), Gary Thomas (corporate and commercial, Melbourne), Simon Johnson (commercial dispute resolution, Sydney), Scott Cameron (financial services, Brisbane), Will Dwyer and Rebecca Mohr (property environment planning construction engineering, Sydney), Mark Waddell (property environment planning construction engineering, Melbourne), Jenny Wiggins (property environment planning construction engineering, Perth). Andrew Rankin, previously with Allens Arthur Robinson, has joined the corporate and commercial practice as a partner in Brisbane. Deacons has also promoted 34 lawyers to senior associate.

Maurice Blackburn Cashman has appointed two senior associates and two associates. The new senior associates are: Malcolm Cumming (Comcare, Melbourne office), Laura Neil (personal injuries, Southport (Queensland) office). The associates are: Giri Sivaraman (employment and industrial, Melbourne office), and Sarah Yellop (medical negligence, Brisbane office).

Freehills has appointed seven new partners. They are: Priscilla Bryans and Brendan Earle (corporate group), Peter Dunne (private equity - corporate group), Wendy Gwyn (banking and finance Group), Geoffrey Hansen, Hamish Macpherson and Paul Wenk (litigation group). The firm also appointed nine new special counsel and 47 senior associates.

Allens Arthur Robinson has appointed six new partners. They are: Kylie Brown (corporate and commercial, Sydney), Anne Ferguson (litigation and dispute resolution, Melbourne), Robert Pick (corporate and commercial, Melbourne), Emma Warren (energy, resources and infrastructure, Melbourne), Robert Watt and Tom Highnam (banking and finance, Sydney).

Hunt & Hunt’s Brisbane office has appointed a senior associate and two associates. Peta Collins has been appointed as a senior associate in the firm’s insurance group. For the past four years, she has worked with Hunt & Hunt to provide advice and representation to CTP and public liability insurers. Charles Sweeney has been appointed as an associate in the corporate and commercial group and Michael Hobson has been appointed as an associate in the firm’s banking and finance group.

Melbourne law firm Russell Kennedy has appointed David Weil as a special counsel and Daniel Kelliher as a senior associate. Weil joins the property and development team. He is an accredited property law specialist with several years experience in a wide range of property related transactions. Kelliher joins the firm in private client services after 11 years in private practice and more than four years of corporate experience with National Australia Trustees Ltd.

Nicol Robinson Halletts has appointed Jayne Steele and Simon Abubakar as partners. The firm has also promoted Zayd Chothia and Danielle Christoffersen to senior associate. Steele heads NRH’s corporate and commercial team and has predominantly worked in the energy and resources industries. Abubakar heads the NRH franchising and intellectual property team, and has a long history in working with franchise systems. Chothia practises in the firm’s commercial dispute resolution and insolvency team, with a particular focus on corporate insolvency. Christoffersen is a solicitor in the firm’s family law team and has experience in all aspects of family law including separation, divorce, domestic violence, custody and access, child support, maintenance orders, co-habitation agreements and property settlements.

Rowan McDonald, in Middletons’ capital markets practice, has been promoted from special counsel to partner. He has more than 15 years experience in the equity capital markets industry. McDonald previously worked in senior roles at Gilbert + Tobin, Clayton Utz and the companies section of the Australian Stock Exchange Limited. The firm has also appointed 16 new senior associates.

Fiona Trueman has been appointed a senior associate in Arnold Bloch Leibler’s corporate and commercial practice. She joined the firm as a solicitor in 1997. She played a key role in the Ansett administration due diligence and, more recently, assisted Steven Klein and Jonathan Wenig in the SEEK float due diligence.

Cornwall Stodart Lawyers has appointed Damien Wurzel to partnership. He commenced with the firm just four years ago as an articled clerk and has a broad range of experience in corporate and commercial law. The firm has also appointed Sam Monkivitch (commercial) and Louise Houlihan (workplace relations) as senior associates.