Phillips Fox has appointed Stuart Imrie, a former Blake Dawson Waldron senior lawyer, as a partner in its Canberra government and commercial team. Imrie provides advice to Australian government departments and agencies — with particular focus on commercial issues including outsourcing, contracting and procurement, commercial property acquisitions and disposals, and public / private partnership arrangements. Prior to working for Blakes, Imrie spent five years with London Magic Circle firm Allen & Overy.

Henry Davis York has appointed Wendy McIntyre and Karen Fairbairn as special counsels. McIntyre has started in the firm’s funds management group. Previously in the financial services group at Minter Ellison, she has about 12 years experience as a funds management lawyer. She specialises in corporations and financial services law, funds management and corporate fundraisings, and has also worked with ASIC. Fairbairn has been appointed to the banking and finance group. She was previously a special counsel in boutique Sydney law firm Atanaskovic Hartnell and a senior associate at a national law firm. She specialises in capital markets transactions, project and structured finance and payments and settle-ments systems.

Bartier Perry Solicitors’ has appointed David Greenhalgh as a consultant, and Kyle Norton and Tristan Devaris as solicitors in its insurance litigation practice.

Jason Warat, David Jenkins, Jonathan East, Lindsay Reed and Stephen Henderson from Brisbane-based firm Nicol Robinson Halletts (NRH) will be joining Home Wilkinson Lowry (HWL) as partners in its new Brisbane office. Another 30 solicitors and support staff from NRH will also take up positions at HWL. The new office will specialise in property, litigation, taxation and commercial law.

Kathleen Hallpike has been appointed as a senior associate at Baker & McKenzie in its construction practice. She was formerly at Deacons. Lewis Apostolou started in the firm’s corporate section at the end of January. Apostolou is from boutique firm NM Taylor Lawyers and specialises in corporate commercial and financial services work.

Kennedy Strang Legal Group has promoted 13 lawyers in its Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide offices. David Murray-Nobbs has been promoted to partner in the commercial practice at Kemp Strang in Sydney. Fiona Chapman and Ben Griffith became senior associates in the professional indemnity group of Thynne & Macartney in Brisbane. Scott Cooper was also promoted to senior associate in banking and finance at Thynne & Macartney. Siobhan Parker became a senior associate in family law and Fabrizio Porcaro in the corporate and taxation law sections of Lynch Meyer in Adelaide. The remaining appointments were to associate.