Speaking about the expanded presence Down Under, Matt Andrews – the firm’s Australian managing partner – said that the firm is committed to providing the best on-the-ground capability wherever our clients need it.

“We have long planned to extend our presence along the east coast and have already hit the ground running,” he said.

“The last two years of remote working gave us the opportunity to be nimble in our approach to working with clients. Many of our partners will travel to and from Brisbane regularly to work with our national insurer clients, all of whom have a presence here — it’s great to have a new base on the ground close to many of our valued clients.”

The new office will be led by insurance partner Stephanie Cook, who was appointed to the partnership in May of this year.

It is an “ideal time”, she said, to open a Brisbane office.

“After a lengthy isolation from the rest of the world, and long periods of separation even from the rest of Australia, there is a genuine desire for many people to re-connect personally,” she said.

“Having a local presence in Brisbane enables us to do that with many of our insurance clients.”

Her goal, Ms Cook went on, “is to grow sustainably, offering our existing clients the benefits that come with working with a global firm with a genuinely local presence and knowledge”.

“We will build a team who share Kennedys’ values and who are able to provide jurisdiction-specific insights, backed by the broader international team and the wealth of experience that comes with a firm like Kennedys,” she said.

Despite the hurdles presented by the age of coronavirus, she noted, Queensland’s recent population growth has presented new business opportunities.

“Businesses operating in Queensland have flourished and, as we continue to take steps towards a more open post-COVID state, we expect the growth in industry and investment in Queensland to continue,” Ms Cook said.

“It is a huge state geographically, rich in natural resources, and home to many significant Australian companies and many of our clients have a geographic presence here. Queensland is a gateway to the Asia Pacific region, making it extremely attractive to investors.

“I look forward to taking up the opportunity to offer a genuine national presence and reaffirm Kennedys’ longstanding commitment to the Australian insurance market.”

The announcement of Kennedys’ new Brisbane presence follows the firm’s significant investment in its Australian team in the past five years, opening new offices in Perth and Victoria, and tripling its headcount (including doubling the number of partners) in that time.

Kennedys is a global firm specialising in litigation and dispute resolution that has almost 1,900 staff worldwide, with 50 owned and associated offices across the Asia-Pacific region, UK, Europe, Middle East and the Americas.