Clyde & Co has snapped up three insurance partners from Norton Rose Fulbright in Melbourne, the latest of a string of hires from its international rival.

Making the move are Nicole Wearne, Ganga Narayanan and Mark Attard. 

They have considerable insurance sector experience - one of Clyde & Co’s flagship client offerings - with a mix of local and international clients, and experience in disciplines ranging from professional indemnity, life insurance, general liability, and healthcare, as well as mainstream insurance industry disputes on coverage and wording, risk management, and claims management.

Attard and Wearne’s strong professional services clientele – ranging from financial services and architects and engineers, to accountants, planners, recruiters, and consumer-facing small businesses like travel agents and real estate agents - reflect the diversity of Australia’s SME sector, as well as being a bedrock practice area. 

The hires are the latest in a wave of partner hires by Clyde & Co from Norton Rose. 

In December, Norton Rose’s Australia head of shipping, Ernie van Buuren, joined Clyde & Co’s Brisbane office, while the Sydney office has welcomed corporate real estate partner Cameron Thomson, cybersecurity partner John Moran and environmental planning partner Jacinta Studdert within the last two years.

Three Australia-based lawyers were included in Clyde & Co’s largest-ever partner promotions round last year of whom two - Darryl Smith, in Melbourne, and Matthew Smith, in Sydney - are insurance specialists underscoring the practice area's importance to the firm.

With the new arrivals, Clyde & Co’s partner strength in Australia has grown from four partners in 2012 to 32 partners in 2020, across four offices, the firm having also absorbed independent firm, Lee & Lyons, in 2016.

Norton Rose announced a 53-strong January 2020 partner promotions round, with five lawyers elevated in Australia across banking, real estate, IP, and two in restructuring and insolvency, with only one promotion in Melbourne.

In December, Alison Dietz was appointed by the firm to succeed veteran Australia managing partner Wayne Spanner.

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