Kennedys launches Perth office with new lateral insurance team

Kennedys in Australia is pleased to announce the latest phase of its expansion with the launch of a Perth office to cater to the firm's strong national growth throughout 2020.

The opening of the new office, to be led by new partner Jonathan Wyatt with a starting team of nine, reflects Kennedys’ focus on expanding its national presence in Australia. It follows the 2017 opening of an office in Melbourne, which has since trebled in size – and in Sydney in 2006.

Kennedys’ presence in Perth also demonstrates the firm’s commitment to supporting its insurance clients at a critical time for the local industry, as Australia emerges from the peak of the covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Wyatt is an experienced and highly regarded insurance specialist, known for his expertise in marine, property, financial lines and liability insurance. He was most recently a partner at Clyde & Co and was with Perth-based leading insurance firm Jarman McKenna before that.

Mr Wyatt is joined at Kennedys by his team from Clyde & Co: special counsel Paul Graham and Alen Sinanovic, senior associate Rosie Blakey-Scholes, associates Kendall Messer, Jack Carroll and Ashleigh Weaver, paralegals Luke Docker and Quinton Roberts, and secretary Danielle Durrant.

Kennedys Australian Managing Partner Matt Andrews said: “Kennedys is committed to providing the best on-the-ground capability wherever our clients need it. The appointment of a partner of Jonathan’s calibre and his team makes good on that promise and will ensure that our clients have seamless access to Kennedys’ expertise.”

Jonathan Wyatt said: “My team and I are excited to be joining Kennedys. The global reach of the firm and the alignment of its goals to my areas of practice - Marine, Liability and Property – make it an ideal fit. We relish the opportunity to establish a leading insurance practice with Kennedys in Perth.

“My team in Perth will have scope to explore new career opportunities with a global firm and the benefit of Kennedys’ supportive workplace culture,” Mr Wyatt said.

Nick Thomas, Senior Partner at Kennedys, says: “We’re progressing our global strategy of growing our international capabilities based on client need. Opening a new office in Perth is another exciting milestone in Australia, with the Asia Pacific region being an important focus for us.”

The Perth team is a continuation of the rapid growth in Kennedys’ national team, with the firm’s headcount growing by more than 20 percent in 2020 and follows the largest round of senior appointments in the firm’s history, including two new partners and 10 special counsel and senior associate appointments.

Matt Andrews added: “I am delighted to welcome Jonathan and his team to Kennedys, to help us build a leading insurance practice in Perth, and a vital link in our growing national presence.”