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Pinsent Masons launches Aussie restructuring and insolvency practice with new team
Following the decision of national practice Gilchrist Connell to exit the restructuring and insolvency space, a specialist team from that firm has moved to Pinsent Masons, with the multinational player now launching a restructuring and insolvency offering in Australia.
Jerome Doraisamy
In August, multinational law firm Pinsent Masons unveiled a new employment and reward practice in Australia, and now, it is entering the restructuring and insolvency space, adding to its financial services capabilities across the country.
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Hannah Griffiths (pictured), who built and led the restructuring and insolvency practice at Gilchrist Connell, has joined Pinsent Masons as its new head of restructuring and insolvency in Australia and will spearhead the development of the BigLaw firm’s newest practice.
She will be based in the firm’s Sydney office.
Ms Griffiths has brought senior associates Phoebe Martin (who spent six months at Baker McKenzie in between her time at Gilchrist Connell and Pinsent Masons) and Arvand Ghazizadeh, and associate Jemimah McLaughlin, with her to the multinational firm.
The news follows a series of partner appointments at Pinsent Masons in 2023, the unveiling of an all-female leadership team across its three Australian offices in February, and the recording of “record revenue growth” in the last financial year, as reported in July.
The team’s move to Pinsent Masons comes as Gilchrist Connell looks to focus on its insurance offerings moving forward. In conversation with Lawyers Weekly, Gilchrist Connell managing principal Richard Wood advised that the national firm recently decided that it would exit the restructuring and insolvency space.
“As a leading Australian insurance sector law firm, Gilchrist Connell is focused on supporting insurers, brokers, underwriting agencies, self-insureds, insureds, insurtechs, and other businesses operating nationally and internationally across all lines of insurance,” he proclaimed.
“We regularly assist these national and global clients with their needs in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, the US, and the London market. As a part of this offering, we also provide employment, WH&S, corporate, regulatory, and commercial advice, and front-end solutions, at all stages of the business life cycle.”
“As a result of this focus, we decided to exit the restructuring and insolvency space,” Mr Wood explained.
“We have supported Hannah Griffiths and her team as they transitioned from our business. We wish Hannah and her team all the best at Pinsent Masons.”
Speaking about the firm’s new team and practice area, Pinsent Masons Australia head Matthew Croagh said: “Our focus in the Asia-Pacific region is to provide legal services for the full life cycle of projects for our energy and infrastructure clients.
“The launch of an Australian restructuring and insolvency practice, with the appointment of Hannah and her team, is a key component of delivering the whole life cycle of legal services to the firm’s clients.
“The hire of Hannah and her team represents an important step in the firm’s commitment to expanding its capabilities in Australia, adding local presence to multinational teams.”
Ms Griffiths said: “Pinsent Masons has a very clear strategy about how it wants to grow and service its clients in the Asia-Pacific region.
“We want to support those companies [that] find themselves in stressed or distressed situations.
“Our team offers the specialist expertise locally and internationally to help clients successfully navigate challenging situations when they emerge by evaluating and generating commercially sound solutions that both create and preserve value.”
