Fieldfisher has given its personal injury team a boost with a hire from Irwin Mitchell, while Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and Gordon Dadds have all made appointments across the globe.
Jane Weakley, formerly of Irwin Mitchell, has re-joined Fieldfisher as a partner in the firm’s personal injury and medical negligence team. Weakley, who trained at Fieldfisher, is a specialist in acting for claimants with catastrophic birth injuries as a result of medical negligence.
Underlining her aptitude in the field, in December 2015 Weakley scored a £11.6m settlement for a five-year-old boy with cerebral palsy.
Fieldfisher’s head of medical negligence and personal injury Paul McNeil commented: ‘With over 20 years’ experience in medical law she is a leading practitioner in this complex area. Like all our lawyers, she is dedicated to ensuring that the interests and rights of our clients are maximised and compensation provides enough care and support throughout their lives.’
Staying in the UK, Gordon Dadds has strengthened its international litigation and gaming services by hiring partners Michael McCarthy and Andrew Tait. McCarthy arrives from Kennedys to Gordon Dadds’ litigation department bringing with him 25 years’ experience as a litigator. He is well-respected as an adviser in insolvency cases and spent several years working for the Insolvency Service of the DTI.
Tait joins Gordon Dadds’ betting and gaming department having spent 10 years as the general counsel (GC) of Mansion Group, a Gibraltar-based private internet gaming company. Tait has an expertise in intellectual property, compliance and contract negotiation.
Gordon Dadds managing partner Adrian Biles said: ‘Gordon Dadds is driven by a vision for the future of legal and professional services. Our new partner appointments are a reflection of the firm’s growth in diverse capabilities and expertise.’
In Australia, Quinn has opened in Perth, appointing Paul Evans as a partner. Evans is currently the state solicitor for Western Australia, having spent an earlier part of his career as a partner in Freehills’ Perth office. Evans is a seasoned litigator and has a history of handling a variety of complex cases.
Quinn managing partner John Quinn commented: ‘We have been trying to convince Paul to join us for the last couple of years. We are glad he finally did.’
Finally, Orrick has hired Charles Adams, the former US Ambassador to Finland, to head the firm’s international arbitration practice worldwide. Adams, who will operate out of Orrick’s Geneva office, was nominated as ambassador by Barack Obama in June 2014 and will assume his new role on April 3 2017.
Adams said: ‘Diplomatic service as ambassador to Finland was an amazing honour and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
‘The firm is doing so many exciting things in technology, energy & infrastructure and finance all around the world, and I look forward to helping the team continue to build its world-class international arbitration practice centred in these sectors.’
tom.baker@legalease.co.uk
