Kennedys is seeking a talented Senior Associate or Special Counsel to join our busy Insurance team based in our growing Melbourne office.
Working closely with 3 highly regarded Partners, the role will focus on complex construction cases and coverage advice including :
Building disputes from large infrastructure to domestic building, acting in defence of a range of building professionals and contractors and advising on professional indemnity, warranty, alliance project and contract works coverage advice.
The successful candidate will have a good understanding of building and infrastructure contracts, design concepts and the role of building professionals including engineers, architects building surveyors, building inspectors, land surveyors and the like, a good understanding of the Building Act (Vic) and ideally experience in large scale litigation / arbitration.
The role presents an opportunity to work with leading practitioners on a mix of construction related disputes and, depending on the experience of the candidate, other professional indemnity matters. The role will also include advising on coverage for a range of local insurers and London syndicates.
Team
Our vibrant Melbourne Insurance team is led by 4 prominent Partners:,, and who pride themselves on promoting an inclusive culture; ensuring everyone works together to achieve the best results for our clients.
Kennedys is a global firm and has had a presence in Australia since 2006. In 2017, Kennedys Melbourne opened to reinforce the firm's commitment to the Australian market and Kennedys has fast-growing offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.
Clients
1. Multinational Insurance Companies
2. Global Insurance Companies
3. Boutique Underwriting Agencies
4. And many more!
Required experience
5. *5-10 years' of relevant defendant insurance experience with a strong background in complex construction personal injury / disputes
6. Experience acting in large scale construction disputes in the Supreme Court of Victoria, County Court or VCAT is preferred
7. Demonstrated understanding of projects, construction agreements and relevant case law
8. Coverage experience acting for insurers and advising on coverage matters specific to the construction sector would be high advantageous but not essential
9. Methodical and organised approach to file management
10. Ability to manage own time, excellent organisation skills and attention to detail
11. High level of professionalism and integrity; displaying the highest standard of professional ethics
12. Leadership abilities and natural flair for building relationships
Please let us know if you require any additional support or adjustments to be made in order to submit your application to Kennedys.
*where a level of experience is indicated, this is a guideline only and represents the amount of time we would usually expect a candidate to accumulate the requisite level of experience. This does not preclude applications from candidates with more or less experience.
About Kennedys
Kennedys is a global law firm with expertise in dispute resolution and advisory services. With over 2,500 people worldwide across 45 offices in the UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and America we have some of the most respected legal minds in their field.
Our lawyers handle both contentious and non-contentious matters, and provide a range of specialist legal services, for many industry sectors but we have particular expertise in litigation and dispute resolution, especially in defending insurance and liability claims.
We're a fresh-thinking firm, and we're not afraid to bring challenging new perspectives to the table way beyond the traditional realm of legal services. We empower our clients with a diverse range of ideas, tools and technology to make their lives easier, as well as delivering exceptional results, every time.
What do we have to offer?
We welcome high-performing lawyers, business services professionals, secretaries, graduates and apprentices to join our rapidly expanding global firm. Whatever your role at Kennedys, you'll be involved in exciting and stimulating work, where your input will make a difference.
Our culture and values form a big part of who we are and we take them seriously. We make a difference by being approachable, straightforward, supportive and distinctive. Our are at the core of who we are and what make us a great firm to work with and for.
The Firm recognises the value of investing in our people's development and believes our culture and values contribute to the quality of our work and of our client relationships. With a culture of on-the-job and experiential learning, peer to peer learning, mentoring, resources and tools that enable you to drive your career, we can support your development in your current and future roles. A variety of other opportunities are available including secondments to clients and our global offices.
We strive to celebrate empower our people and ensure everyone can bring their authentic selves to work. We've created a culture based on client service, professional excellence, hard work and trust, where diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is a key priority. We recognise that many of our people want to work for an employer that is aligned to their values, which is why we are building an inclusive culture, decarbonising our operations and supporting our people to thrive at work. Our people are the key to driving this change and helping us to make a difference to our clients, our people and the communities in which we live and work.
Kennedys is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. We expect all employees to be aware of and comply with all relevant policies and procedures within their jurisdiction, including those relating to Information Security, Data Protection and Quality Management, refer any breach promptly to Risk & Compliance and to complete all mandatory training when requested.