Kennedys promotes several insurance lawyers

Law firm Kennedys has promoted Christopher Malla to head of its healthcare division, and elevated nine lawyers to its partnership in the UK.

Malla, a partner, has become head of a healthcare division that comprises more than 80 lawyers across the firm’s Birmingham, Cambridge and London offices.

Having joined Kennedys as a trainee in 1995, Malla became a partner in 2002 and splits his time between the firm’s Birmingham and London offices.

The nine new partners at Kennedys are based in Taunton, London, Cambridge, Birmingham and Chelmsford.

The new promotions are:

• Vittorio Cinque, Taunton: After qualifying in 2010, Cinque, Taunton joined Kennedys. With lead responsibility for the claims handling team, he acts on behalf of insurers in defending professional negligence claims against solicitors, as well as architects, engineers and other construction professionals
• Jacqueline Curran, London: Having joined Kennedys as a trainee in 2006, Curran qualified two years later. Working within the firm’s commercial division, with experience in banking and finance, Curran combines her commercial work with an established finance practice and acts for retail banks, private investors and insurers on in a range of financing transactions
• Victoria Darby, London: Another former Kennedys trainee, Darby qualified in 2011 and specialises in high-value property, energy, construction and engineering insurance matters, acting for insurers in the UK and internationally, with a focus on the US, Europe and the Middle East. Earlier in her career, she was the vice president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers’s group for newly qualified lawyers
• Bill Evans, London: Initially qualifying in Queensland, Australia, Evans spent two years working there as a solicitor before relocating to London and joining Kennedys in 2008. He has experience of operating in a range of international jurisdictions, and acts for contractors and insurers in substantial fire, flood and property damage claims, and on behalf of product liability insurers in claims regarding defective products that have led to property damage
• Daniel Freeman, London: Working in the firm’s healthcare division, Freeman advises both private insurers and NHS trusts. After qualifying in 2009 at Kennedys, Freeman has built up experience working for medical malpractice insurers and NHS Resolution, dealing with clinical negligence claims, defending general practitioners, plastic surgeons and orthopaedic surgeons. He also deals with complex, high-value clinical negligence litigation involving both child and adult neurological injury
• Camilla Long, Cambridge: A clinical negligence lawyer with more than 20 years of experience, Long joined Kennedys in 2011. She specialises in all aspects of clinical negligence on behalf of NHS Resolution, NHS trusts, private healthcare insurers, general practitioners and clinical commissioning groups. She also handles high-value claims, including those involving adult neurological damage and perinatal brain injury
• Naomi North, Birmingham: Since joining Kennedys in 2011, North splits her time between the firm’s Birmingham and London offices and leads the firm’s motor crime team. She specialises in criminal representation of professional and lay drivers following serious injury and fatal collisions
• Mirjam Schorr, London: Dual-qualified in Germany (2003) and in England and Wales (2006), Schorr’s practice encompasses insurance/reinsurance, product liability, employers’ liability, environmental liability, and health and safety law
• Richard Whybrew, Chelmsford: Whybrew joined Kennedys in 2015 and leads the property damage team in Chelmsford. He has experience in pursuing subrogated recoveries for insurers across the full range of perils and is also experienced in product liability claims resulting in property damage and regularly advises insurers on coverage issues

Nick Thomas, senior partner of Kennedys, said: “We’re committed to ensuring all of our lawyers have clear routes to progress, so it’s reassuring to be able to welcome so many new partners. Personally, it’s also incredibly rewarding for me to see so many of our lawyers follow the same route that I took, from trainee to partner with Kennedys, in this year’s promotions.”

Mark Dugdale