Mary MacLeod and Peter Hawkes have joined the firm as special counsel while former Mills Oakley lawyer Louise Gehrig has joined as a senior associate.

MacLeod joins the firm's Melbourne office, having worked almost exclusively as a senior lawyer practising in the area of accident compensation law, representing WorkSafe, insurers and employers. She recently held the role as claims manager within the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority where she managed the Public Healthcare and General Government Programs for Victoria.

Hawkes, whose principal areas of practice include major development projects, strategy and risk management, joins the firm's Sydney office as special counsel coming from his most recent role at Snowy Hydro Limited. He brings extensive expertise and knowledge of clean energy project development, operational risk management and the application of planning and environmental law in the energy and water sectors of east coast Australia. Hawkes also spent four years in Europe, including stints with Herbert Smith and Baker & McKenzie in London.

Gehrig joins the firm having just returned from London, where she gained experience in the professional indemnity insurance market. Her principal area of practice is in commercial disputes in the Supreme and Federal Courts.