Senior associate Brett Cohen, whose practice focuses on energy, resources and regulatory compliance has been promoted to partner in the firm's Perth energy and resources (E&R) group.

He will be joined by corporate senior associate Adel van der Walt who, before joining the Perth E&R team, practised as a senior associate in the natural resources group at Webber Wentzel in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Cohen and Van der Walt are part of the strategic expansion of Clutz's Perth E&R team, in which former Eni Australia and VICO senior legal counsel John King also starts as a partner this week.

Brisbane-based special counsels Brett Cook and Majella Pollard will also take up partnerships in Clutz's Brisbane office; Cook in the litigation and dispute resolution practice and Pollard in the government services group.

Senior associates Damien Gardiner and Richard Hoad have been promoted to partner in the firm's Melbourne office. Gardiner's practice focuses on environmental, planning, native title and land acquisition work, while Hoad specialises in intellectual property and technology.

Ross McInnes, who specialises in class actions, has been promoted from senior associate to partner in Clutz's litigation and dispute resolution team in Sydney.

Finally, Melbourne-based senior associate Polat Siva, who practises in commercial litigation and dispute resolution, has made partner in the firm's Darwin litigation and dispute resolution team.

Siva has been in Darwin for the last six months and joins Margaret Michaels and Mark Spain as the third Darwin office partner.