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BigLaw firm Baker McKenzie has strengthened its Australian leadership ranks, promoting 26 professionals across its offices nationwide, including the elevation of two practitioners to partner.
Baker McKenzie has promoted 26 professionals across its Australian network, with the appointments set to take effect from 1 July 2026.
As part of the latest promotions round, the global law firm has elevated two lawyers to partner, appointed four to special counsel, and advanced a further 15 to senior associate roles.
The appointments also extend beyond the legal practice, with five business services professionals stepping into more senior positions.
The firm’s newest partners are Jarrod Bayliss-McCulloch (commercial, Melbourne) and Michael Starkey (employment, Sydney).
Bayliss-McCulloch’s elevation to partner marks the culmination of a more than 15-year journey with Baker McKenzie, having joined the firm as an associate before steadily progressing through the ranks to its partnership.
He provides expert advice on major technology-driven transactions and complex regulatory matters spanning telecommunications, intellectual property, data privacy, and consumer law, with a particular emphasis on digital media and emerging product development.
With more than a decade of experience in the profession, Starkey brings deep advisory and litigation expertise across the full spectrum of employment law, including employment contracts, employee entitlements, mergers and acquisitions, and remuneration and superannuation.
The new special counsel are Serena Chow (tax, Sydney), Adrienne de Bruyn (TPG, Brisbane), Louise Hang (TPG, Sydney), and Hanna Jung (employment and compensation, Sydney).
The new senior associates include: Andrew Attard (disputes, Sydney), Sophia Cheng (TPG – real estate, Sydney), Ed Dymond (TPG, Sydney), Afif Haque (employment and compensation, Sydney), Sophia Herd (employment and compensation, Melbourne), Peter Keeran (TPG, Melbourne), Chloe Law (TPG, Melbourne), Diksha Mendiratta Nagle (disputes, Sydney), Leandros Pandoulis (banking and finance, Sydney), Hannah Stacey (disputes, Sydney), William Tai (TPG, Sydney), Tara Taylor (TPG, Sydney), Po Tsai (TPG, Melbourne), Willem van der Wilt (TPG, Sydney), and Marissa Volaris (TPG, Melbourne).
The Australian promotions form part of a broader global advancement round at Baker McKenzie, which has seen 45 lawyers elevated to partner across the firm’s worldwide network, effective 1 July.
The latest appointments bring the firm’s total number of new partner promotions globally to 91 during the 2026 financial year.
Speaking about the promotion round, Sunny Mann, global chair of Baker McKenzie, shared how it highlights the firm’s continued focus on strengthening a high-performing and collaborative global platform, underpinned by investment in top talent across its international network.
“Our 2026 partner promotions reflect our consistent focus on ensuring that we continue to be a high-performing, inclusive firm that can deliver for our multinational clients on their most critical work,” Mann said.
“We are investing in exceptional talent across our global practice groups – colleagues who combine local expertise with global insight and collaboration in service of our clients.
“Our new partners will be instrumental in shaping the future growth of our firm, and I am excited about the heights to which they will take the firm in the years to come. A huge and heartfelt congratulations to them all.”
