Top 20 UK firm DAC Beachcroft has forged an association with Australian insurance law firm Gilchrist Connell. 

The new association will see the two firms collaborate to service multinational insurers, brokers and insurance industry businesses across the Asia-Pacific region. 

Sydney-headquartered Gilchrist Connell said the collaboration would use the strength of both firms to help clients navigate complex coverage issues and defend claims effectively. The firm has 150 lawyers across five offices in Australia and brings expertise in insurance, workplace, corporate, regulatory and dispute resolution matters. Breaches of duty of care and criminal inquests are among the teams’ key strengths, according to Legal 500. 

Meanwhile DAC Beachcroft has more than 1,000 lawyers globally and boasts a strong presence across the UK, Europe, North American, Latin America and Asia Pacific. The firm focuses on high-value insurance and reinsurance disputes, along with providing support for claims arising from the infrastructure, energy and financial services sectors.

Helen Faulkner, head of insurance at DAC Beachcroft, said the alliance strengthened the firm’s ability to provide comprehensive legal solutions to its insurance sector clients, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

Richard Wood, managing principal at Gilchrist Connell, added the alliance “allows us to offer our clients an unparalleled level of service and expertise, both locally and internationally”.

Last September, DAC Beachcroft announced the opening of an office in Hong Kong, its second office in Asia-Pacific alongside Singapore where the firm has been operating since 2011. The firm also announced an association with shipping, international trade and marine insurance boutique Incisive Law in Singapore in 2023. 

Over the past year, the firm has opened a further three offices globally, hiring 30 insurance lawyers to set up shop in New York and Los Angeles and launching in Lima, Peru, with a team of 11 lawyers focused on insurance-related maritime and energy matters as well as corporate and litigation work. 

News of the alliance comes ahead of Gilchrist Connell’s chief people officer, Belinda Cohen, taking over leadership of the firm from Wood at the start of July as the firm’s chief executive. Wood has served as managing principal since the firm’s inception in 2008.