Law firm Kennedys has opened an office in Brisbane, led by Stephanie Cook, who was appointed partner in May and has decades of expertise in property and financial lines insurance.

Ms Cook says it is an ideal time to be in Brisbane after significant population growth and as businesses operating in Queensland flourish.

"We expect the growth in industry and investment in Queensland to continue,” Ms Cook said. “Queensland is a gateway to the Asia Pacific region, making it extremely attractive to investors.”

Kennedy’s plans to build a team with “jurisdiction-specific” insights, which will be backed by the broader international team. Managing Partner of Kennedys in Australia Matt Andrews says Kennedys has long planned to extend its presence along the east coast.

“Many of our partners will travel to and from Brisbane regularly to work with our national insurer clients, all of whom have a presence here,” Mr Andrews said. "It’s great to have a new base on the ground close to many of our valued clients.”

Ms Cook has more than 20 years’ experience in insurance law, practising in Australia and the UK.

She has managed high-value, complex first party property disputes, multi-party property liability claims, matters involving suspected fraud and professional indemnity claims, particularly against construction professionals.

She has advised insurers on a wide range of coverage issues in the context of ISR, contract works, reinsurance, liability and consumer wordings, and has handled numerous claims involving catastrophic fire losses and allegations of arson, advising insurers on policy response, liability and recovery.

Kennedys entered the Australian market in 2006 and has offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth with 21 partners and 120 staff specialising in litigation and dispute resolution, particularly in insurance. It has tripled its headcount in Australia in five years.