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Specialist insurance firm Wotton + Kearney has poached an 18-strong team from DLA Piper in New Zealand to become the largest insurance and dispute resolution firm in the country.
The team, including partners Peter Leman, Caroline Laband and Misha Henaghan, will join the firm on Tuesday.
"In considering this move, the first thing we did was talk to our clients about what this move would look like for them. We were delighted with their responses and are convinced Wotton + Kearney has the most compelling insurance practice in the New Zealand market," New Zealand managing partner Antony Holden said in a statement.
"Peter, Caroline and Misha and their teams share our passion for insurance law, and we warmly welcome them to W+K," he added.
Following the hire, W+K will have 14 partners and over 80 dispute resolution and insurance lawyers, more than any other firm in New Zealand.
DLA Piper has been contacted for comment.
Founded in 2002, W+K has more than 200 specialist insurance lawyers across offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth in Australia, and Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand.
Christopher Niesche
Christopher Niesche is the Australia correspondent for Law.com International. He covers the business of law in Australia and writes about lawyers, global and domestic law firms and in-house law departments. He also covers Australian regulatory matters. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter: @ChrisNiesche.