Law firm Clyde & Co has picked up an 80-strong group from US law firm Sedgwick which will shut down in January. The UK law firm has hired 15 partners and a range of other lawyers and staff from offices across the US including California, Chicago, New York and Miami. The London law firm had originally held merger talks with the US firm but a swathe of departures from the firm, as reported in the Global Legal Post, saw the deal to merge fall through. In 2017, Sedgwick reported income of $170.5 million and 274 lawyers.

Sedgwick group

The 15 partners specialise in insurance coverage, trial and litigation lawyers, with a focus across insurance lines and represent US and international insurance carriers, corporates and public sector bodies. They are predominantly based in three offices in California – San Francisco, Los Angeles and Orange County – as well as Chicago, New York and Miami. In addition to the 15 partners, the group will include more than 65 other lawyers and staff, including a Kansas City, Missouri, shared services team, comprising finance, business acceptance and IT and other business staff. 

Core areas of business

Commenting on the hires, Simon Konsta, Clyde & Co senior partner, said: 'Our global growth strategy is focused on our core sectors and our ability to hire the very best teams in the locations in which our clients need us. We have been growing in the United States for nearly 12 years and the addition of these 15 partners complements our existing west coast and national business. These partners are all focused on core areas of practice that complement our own and our objectives in North America, as well as our strategic ambition of being pre-eminent in our chosen sectors in any market in which we operate.'

Hit the ground running

Ralph Guirgis, former chair of Sedgwick's insurance division, adds: 'We're very pleased to be joining Clyde & Co and its world leading insurance practice, which has an unrivalled global footprint and a strong reputation in the US among carriers and the London market. We're proud to bring with us a team with strong experience and expertise across insurance lines as well as exceptional trial and litigation capabilities. We look forward to being able to hit the ground running.'

Latest growth

The expansion is the latest growth for Clyde & Co in the US, where it first launched in 2006. It follows the opening of offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, DC in 2017. The firm now has ten offices and over 60 partners and over 350 people nationally in offices including Miami, Atlanta, San Francisco, Long Beach, New York City and New Jersey. Clyde & Co operates as a single global partnership and focuses on five core sectors globally: insurance, infrastructure, trade and commodities, energy and transportation. 

New partners move over in January

The team starts on January 1 2018. The joining partners are: 

 Orange County: 

• Ralph Guirgis was firmwide chair of Sedgwick’s Insurance Division and investigates, litigates and advises insurers on policy wordings while representing insurers in complex coverage disputes in the US and internationally. 

• Margaret Holm is a trial lawyer defending healthcare organisations and providers, and national and regional insurers against allegations of professional malpractice including wrongful death, abuse, and catastrophic injury.

Curtis Parvin is a trial lawyer focusing on business, transportation, products liability, professional liability, environmental litigation, and the defense of serious personal injury cases.

• Sean Simpson specialises in complex commercial (re)insurance matters, representing and US and London market insurers in litigation and counseling in high profile matters across insurance lines. 

Los Angeles:

• Craig Barnes is a trial lawyer who practices in the area of catastrophic loss litigation, including child sexual abuse, as well as complex business litigation, product liability and general tort litigation.

• Alison Beanum is a trial lawyer who defends public and private entities against claims of intentional and negligence-based torts alleged to have caused catastrophic injuries.

• James Holmes was office managing partner of Sedgwick’s Los Angeles office and is a trial lawyer and litigator, representing major media and entertainment entities and insurers on a variety of intellectual property matters.

• Susan Koehler Sullivan is a commercial litigator, specialising in corporate insurance matters including coverage investigations, disputes and trials. 

San Francisco:

• Bruce Celebrezze is a leading insurance industry litigator with a national practice that focuses on complex general liability work and commercial disputes for insurers.

• Brian Harrison has extensive experience representing insurers in a variety of litigated and non-litigated matters involving complex insurance coverage disputes.

• Martin O'Leary handles professional liability insurance matters, including litigation and coverage under a range of insurance lines from directors and officers to cyber liability.

• Alexander Potente is an experienced trial lawyer who represents insurers in complex commercial insurance litigation matters.

New York:

• Katelin O'Rourke Gorman counsels US and London insurers on matters involving public company, private company and not-for-profit D&O liability policies.

 Miami:

• Alfred Warrington provides litigation counsel to international (re)insurers and intermediaries across a range of matters including aviation, construction defect, environmental and bad faith claims. 

Chicago:

• Catalina Sugayan represents domestic and international insurers providing coverage and claims resolution in matters including civil rights, law enforcement liability, sexual misconduct, professional liability and class and collective actions.