Leading independent business law firm Hall & Wilcox are delighted to welcome two new senior appointments in their Newcastle office, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary.
Catherine Freeman has been appointed Special Counsel and Brieanna Gallagher appointed as their newest Senior Associate.
Consistent with Hall & Wilcox’ focus on diversity and inclusion, the appointments mean more than 65 per cent of the senior lawyers in the Newcastle office are women.
Newcastle Partner, Daniel Stoddart, said the firm was thrilled to promote Catherine and Brieanna as part of Hall & Wilcox’ record number of promotions this year.
The appointments enable the firm to continue offering the best possible support to its clients.
“One of the pleasures of the past five years has been to see our Hall & Wilcox team develop a deep connection with our local community through the promotion of local Newcastle talent, strong client relationships and pro bono assistance of the homeless at Raymond Terrace,” Daniel said.
“Catherine and Brieanna have been an integral part of serving our clients and the community and the success of Hall & Wilcox in the region.Our success has been driven by our commitment to smarter law, strong values, high employee engagement and high staff retention.
“One of the things I am most proud of is our firm becoming a WGEA employer of choice for women for the past two years.”
The Newcastle office opened five years ago with seven people and focused on insurance law.
It has now grown to 50 people and expanded – through the merger of highly regarded Newcastle firm Harris Wheeler in 2017 – to encompass corporate, property and commercial litigation matters, including a strong social and affordable housing practice.
Recently, Partner Matthew Smith, led a national team assisting Australian company Bravo Fit Holdings Pty Ltd to secure an Area Development Agreement from Plant Fitness, Inc, which will facilitate Planet Fitness’ international expansion into Australia.
Partner Katrina Reye is leading large national teams on projects for Compass Housing and the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation.
Compass Housing is a not-for-profit organisation that provides affordable housing for low to moderate income earners, while HCCDC works to create diverse and sustainable regional economies.
“We are excited to celebrate our fifth anniversary in Newcastle and to continue to provide the expertise of a 93 partner national firm to the Newcastle region for many years to come,” Daniel concluded.
IMAGE | Hall & Willcox Senior Associate, Brieanna Gallagher & Special Counsel, Catherine Freeman. (left-right).
