Kennedys has promoted six new partners in Australia, half specialising in insurance law which it says is a growing area of demand with clients.

Stephanie Cook, Peter Craney and Llinos Kent are the new insurance partners, while Nicholas Blackmore is an expert in cyber and data privacy, Persephone Forster in employment and Maya Parbhoo in healthcare.

Ms Cook specialises in property claims, especially high-value, complex first party property disputes, multi-party property liability claims, matters involving suspected fraud and professional indemnity claims, particularly against construction professionals.

Mr Craney is an insurance specialist with marine, aviation, casualty and property experience gained across Australia and the UK.

Ms Kent advises on policy response and coverage issues relating to D&O, professional indemnity, crime and trustee liability, investment management insurance, cyber and warranty and indemnity policies.

Kennedys says Australia is a growth market and the firm has invested significantly in its local team in the last five years, opening new offices in Perth and Victoria, and tripling headcount.

“Our global network has been invaluable to Australian clients looking for resources and insight into how the global insurance sector is evolving,” local Managing Partner Matt Andrews said.