The Brief:
Mills Oakley has poached a 15-person insurance team from Moray & Agnew, including three partners, to launch its Newcastle office.
The hire builds on Mills Oakley’s rapid partnership growth, up 31% over the last three years, among the fastest of any Australian firm.
Mills Oakley has raided Moray & Agnew for a 15-person insurance team, including three partners, to launch its Newcastle office.
Partners Matt Huckerby, Holly Ulmer and Lucy Munro, along with consultant Mark Brothers, joined the firm’s Newcastle office on 3 August. The team also brings a senior associate, three associates, three lawyers, a paralegal and three legal assistants. The three new partners all focus on public liability and workers’ compensation.
It’s a jump start for Mills Oakley’s Newcastle office, and a boost to its ability to support insurers, underwriters, brokers, government agencies and corporate clients nationally.
CEO John Nerurker said the team “bring deep expertise across a broad range of personal injury, liability and statutory insurance matters,” adding the hire “significantly enhances our ability to support insurers, government agencies and corporate clients on complex claims and disputes across Australia.”
Huckerby, a 20-year Moray & Agnew veteran, framed the move as a fresh start, posting on LinkedIn that he’d joined as a “founding partner” of the Newcastle office. He called out Mills Oakley’s ambition to become “Australia’s leading law firm”, saying that it’s “a genuine goal, not just words on a page.”
The numbers back him up. As we reported last year, Mills Oakley’s partnership has grown 31% over the past three years, among the fastest of any Australian firm with over 100 partners. This latest raid keeps that streak alive.
Source: Mills Oakley