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Clyde & Co names new managing partner for Australia
Global law firm Clyde & Co has appointed a Dubai-based partner, who currently serves in a leadership capacity in the firm’s global regulatory and investigations practice, as its new Australian head.
Jerome Doraisamy
Rebecca Kelly (pictured) has been appointed as the new Australian managing partner for global firm Clyde & Co, marking the second such appointment for the BigLaw practice in a little over a year.
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She is, Clyde & Co said in a statement, a “highly regarded” regulatory disputes and investigations lawyer with more than two decades of experience leading and defending investigations throughout the Middle East, the USA, Europe, and Asia-Pacific region, who has handled complex cross-border global litigation and arbitration for multinational companies and also counsels clients on compliance obligations with anti-corruption/bribery, anti-money laundering, sanctions, and anti-boycott laws, as well as defending clients facing regulatory enforcement.
Ms Kelly has previously served as office managing partner for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in its Dubai office and was the head of that firm’s litigation and regulatory team.
She will be based in the firm’s Brisbane office and is set to assume her new role at the beginning of 2024.
The news follows the firm’s naming of 13 new senior associates in Australia in July and seven new special counsel in May.
In August, Clyde & Co reported that its firm-wide revenue grew 20 per cent in FY23 since the previous financial year.
Speaking about her new role, Ms Kelly said: “It is an exciting time to take on a law firm leadership role with Clyde & Co in Australia.
“The current economic and geopolitical environment presents challenges as well as significant growth opportunities in all sectors, where competition is tough, but the need for quality legal services has never been higher.
“Clients are facing a unique and ever more complex range of risks as they seek to grow and develop their businesses locally and globally, and our sector-focused approach means we are ideally placed to help them. I look forward to working with our amazing talent in Australia and helping to develop our offering further.”
Clyde & Co APAC board chair Simon McConnell added: “We have strong ambitions in Australia over the coming five years where we are seeking to offer clients in our core sectors leading disputes, regulatory and corporate and commercial services.
“As well as our expertise in insurance, construction, energy, trading and marine, we are seeking to grow by providing clients a fully rounded offering, including in regulatory and investigations, which is why Rebecca is ideally placed to lead the firm in Australia on our growth path.”
In late October 2022, Clyde & Co announced its head of insurance, Lucinda Lyons, as its new managing partner in Australia.
Ms Lyons took over at that time from Michael Tooma, who had served in the role for five years and who left the global firm for Hamilton Locke earlier this month, taking a team of nine lawyers and fellow partner Kiri Jervis with him.
