Her arrival demonstrates how Wotton + Kearney is supporting diversity across its partnership and how New Zealand works as a base for running a flexible, international practice.

Wotton + Kearney is delighted to announce that one of the firm’s partners, Katie Shanks, has returned to Auckland after spending six years in Sydney and will run the first trans-Tasman insurance practice. Katie began her career in Auckland before joining W+K in Sydney in 2013 and being promoted to the partnership in 2017. She specialises exclusively in insurance and commercial litigation and has been recognised as a Rising Star by Australasian Lawyer.

Katie has a strong mix of expertise across the New Zealand and Australian courts and disciplinary tribunals in professional indemnity claims for a broad group of professionals. She advises Australian and New Zealand insurers and the Lloyd’s of London market on defence claims, coverage disputes and disciplinary investigations – particularly in the construction, engineering, valuers, legal and financial services industries.

Katie is also an integral part of the firm’s property and construction practice, working on some of the largest and most complex matters across Australia and New Zealand, including material damage and business interruption claims arising out of the Canterbury earthquakes. She is regularly instructed to advise on indemnity issues by most leading property insurers in Australia and is the principal partner for our rapidly growing commercial property recoveries practice.

Commenting on her return to New Zealand, Katie said, “I’m excited to be back home. I’m grateful to Wotton + Kearney and our clients for supporting this move and recognising that flexible working arrangements like this can work well for the firm and our insurer clients in providing quality legal services for their customers doing business in either Australia or New Zealand.”

Antony Holden, Managing Partner of Wotton + Kearney in New Zealand, said, “We are very happy to welcome Katie back to Auckland. Katie is a highly skilled insurance lawyer and her expertise will enhance the services we can offer to our New Zealand clients. By managing her practice and her team from Auckland, Katie is demonstrating that it is possible to work flexibly and use New Zealand as a base for trans-Tasman and other international legal work.”

Wotton + Kearney Chief Executive Partner, David Kearney, commented “Katie’s move is part of our continued commitment to provide a regional response to insurers and their customers doing business across our region. It is also a clear demonstration of our commitment to provide flexible working arrangements for our excellent lawyers as we aim for greater diversity across the firm.  Her move provides continuity of relationship and service to our existing Australian clients and a genuinely different legal service model for our clients doing business across both New Zealand or Australia.”

Katie’s arrival adds to W+K’s recent growth in New Zealand. In January 2019 a six-member healthcare and medical negligence team joined the firm in Auckland and Wellington. Wotton + Kearney is now New Zealand’s largest specialist insurance firm with 10 partners and 17 lawyers across both offices.

You can view Katie’s profile here.