Plexus Law secures lateral hires from Kennedys

Plexus Law has secured the services of a team of 17 lawyers and 10 support staff from Kennedys.

The hires will be based in new offices in Taunton and Chelmsford, expanding Plexus Law’s network in the Southwest and Southeast.

Their arrival follows the £15million private equity investment in the law firm and the appointment of former Kennedys global finance director Fiona Scott as chief executive officer.

The 27-strong team arriving at Plexus Law includes new partner Sarah Cornish, who will lead the firm’s financial lines offering in the newly opened Taunton office.

Cornish has advised on professional indemnity claims, across a broad range of professions, for the past 30 years, and played a key role in the development of teams at both Kennedys and RPC.

She is joined by a team of professional indemnity and financial lines specialists, including partners Andrew Crocombe, Simon Combe and Rob Wotherspoon, as well as two associates and a consultant.

Andrew Caplan has been appointed to lead the liability practice. He specialises in a range of insurance claims, including personal injury, abuse and crisis management.

Caplan is joined by partners Kate Prestidge, Angela Hanmore, Thom Lumley and Ron Ruston, as well as three solicitors and four associates.

The Chelmsford office will focus on a range of sectors and disciplines within the casualty space, in addition to abuse and crisis management.

Commenting on the appointments, Scott said: “We are thrilled to have such a talented team of people joining us. We operate in a highly competitive market and finding the right talent forms a major part of our growth strategy.”

“We’re seeing increased demand, particularly from our London market and reinsurer clients, for claims handling and litigation expertise in specialist areas such as financial lines, and liability work so it’s the right time for us to strengthen our expertise and service offering to clients.”

“The experience that Sarah, Andrew and their teams bring perfectly complements the areas that we have identified as significant growth opportunities, and we know that they will be an enormous asset to the firm. These appointments also strengthen our regional presence and support the growth of our UK-wide network of offices.”

Mark Dugdale