DWF expands major injury and casualty group with 28 hires from Kennedys in London and leeds
DWF has hired a 28-strong team from Kennedys, including four senior partners, in a significant boost to its UK major injury and casualty group. The arrivals strengthen the firm’s presence in London and Leeds and follow an earlier raid on Kennedys’ marine insurance practice earlier this year.
The group includes partners Richard West, Claire Mulligan, Gareth Thomas and Jennifer Harris, along with a director, 10 senior associates and a wide team of associates, solicitors and legal professionals. DWF originally announced the partners’ hire in July and has now confirmed that they and their full team have joined the firm. The scale of the move underlines DWF’s determination to expand its major injury and casualty offering, particularly in insurance litigation.
Richard West previously served as global head of liability defence and client innovation at Kennedys, while Claire Mulligan led its travel practice. Gareth Thomas and Jennifer Harris also held senior leadership roles at the firm. Their combined expertise covers liability defence, catastrophic injury, travel litigation, regulatory issues and crisis management. A further high-profile arrival will follow in October, when Victoria Kennedy joins DWF’s major injury and casualty practice from DAC Beachcroft, where she was joint head of the corporate insurance and risk division.
The announcement marks DWF’s second major recruitment from Kennedys in recent months. In February the firm hired a 13-strong marine insurance team in London, led by Chris Dunn, formerly head of Kennedys’ marine practice. The latest move builds on that momentum and reflects what DWF describes as a deliberate strategy to consolidate its position as a leading adviser to the insurance sector.
Embed from Getty ImagesMatthew Doughty, group chief executive officer and head of DWF’s insurance services division, welcomed the hires, stating: “The breadth and calibre of this intake is outstanding and reinforces our position as a leading provider of legal and business services to the insurance industry.” He added that the team’s expertise would significantly strengthen the firm’s ability to handle complex and high-value claims across multiple jurisdictions.
The expansion comes amid a period of sustained recruitment activity at DWF following its delisting from the London Stock Exchange in October 2023, when it accepted an all-cash acquisition offer from private equity firm Inflexion. The buyout has been followed by a series of aggressive hires worldwide, supported by Inflexion’s investment and growth strategy.
In November 2023 DWF recruited nine insurance litigation partners from Australian independent firm Hall & Wilcox, led by team leaders Matt Curll and Rachael Arnold. Earlier this month, the firm deepened its investment in the country by hiring a further 53 professionals from the same firm. Those moves reflected DWF’s renewed commitment to building a strong presence in Australia, having scaled back in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic forced significant cutbacks across its international offices.
In Canada, the firm expanded in January by merging with the insurance and litigation team of Quebec-based Bélanger Sauvé, adding 28 professionals and creating a new base in Montreal, its fourth Canadian office. In December last year, DWF added to its European footprint by bringing in the managing partner of Hogan Lovells’ Warsaw office alongside nine corporate and commercial lawyers.
The pace of expansion has been mirrored by strong financial results. In its most recent financial year ending 30 April 2025, DWF reported revenues of £466m, an 8% increase and the first full-year results since its acquisition by Inflexion. The firm has signalled that it will continue to pursue high-profile hires and targeted mergers as part of its long-term growth strategy in core areas including insurance, litigation and corporate law.