The Melbourne office of Dibbs has taken an eight-strong team of banking and finance litigation staff from Russell Kennedy, including new partners Andrew Fox and Julie Callea-Smyth.

The two litigation specialists have brought their group with them, including lawyers (Jacqueline Giuliani, Kathryn Hamill, Louisa Wijacha), a law clerk (Donna Lamont) and support staff (Danielle Littlejohn and Amanda Hope). The acquisition of talent from Russell Kennedy signals Dibbs’ plans to make bold moves in the banking and finance litigation market over the coming months.

North of the border, JWS has managed to poach five of Gilbert & Tobin’s litigation lawyers, to be based in the firm’s Sydney office. Mark O’Brien, Paul Reidy and Kate Fitzgerald have all become partners at JWS. O’Brien and Reidy are currently partners in Gilbert & Tobin’s media and commercial wing, while Fitzgerald is being promoted from her present role of special counsel, where she specialises in commercial and public law.

Along with the three new partners, JWS has also recruited Paul Svilans, special counsel, and Kevin Lynch, senior associate.

According to Peter Slattery, managing partner of JWS, “having [O’Brien], [Reidy] and their team join will provide those in the media sector with further choice among legal firms — this is particularly significant given the changes to media ownership laws”.

“The addition of this first-rate team enhances our firm’s already strong litigation capability and strengthens our service offering to clients,” he said.

“This exciting development reflects our commitment to the disciplined growth of the national practice at JWS, in those areas that are central to our clients’ strategic requirements.”