The Brief:
Mills Oakley has named six new partners in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane, part of a 62-person promotions round for 2026.
The round takes the firm’s partnership to 191, making it the fifth largest in Australia.
Mills Oakley has named six new partners effective 1 July 2026, a step up from last year’s round, when the firm promoted four partners.
The partner cohort spans the firm’s core practices, covering banking and finance, commercial disputes and insolvency, health and life sciences, insurance and family law, across its Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane offices.
The new partners:
Alesha Burke (Insurance, Sydney) has extensive litigation experience and advises on complex insurance disputes, including professional indemnity and medical malpractice matters across multiple jurisdictions.
Julian Grover (Health and Life Sciences, Sydney) focuses on transactional matters, advising on commercial agreements and regulatory frameworks within the health and life sciences sector.
Robert Murphy (Banking and Finance, Sydney) advises lenders, borrowers and developers on major construction, property and infrastructure financing transactions.
Phoebe Pitt (Commercial Disputes and Insolvency, Adelaide) is experienced in complex, multi-party commercial disputes and insolvency matters across jurisdictions.
Leah Pryde (Insurance, Sydney) specialises in public liability, professional indemnity and CTP matters, advising insurers and corporate clients on complex liability and quantum issues.
Emily Wood (Family Law, Brisbane) advises on complex family law matters, including property disputes and parenting arrangements, with a strong focus on achieving practical, client-focused outcomes.
Beyond the partner round, Mills Oakley has also promoted 9 Special Counsel, 23 Senior Associates and 24 Associates, lifting the total promotions count to 62.
The round follows 20 lateral partner hires over the past 12 months, taking Mills Oakley’s partnership to 191 as at 2 July 2026, making it the fifth largest firm in Australia.
Source: Mills Oakley