Kennedys’ duo set to strengthen Middle East capabilities
Kennedys has announced that partners Victoria Clucas and Bill Evans have moved from London to Dubai as part of the firm’s plans to strengthen its capabilities across the Gulf and Middle East region.
Evans and Clucas are partners in the firm’s international Property, Energy and Construction group. The group is designed to facilitate a seamless sharing of expertise and experience across jurisdictions in response to client’s expectations.
Victoria Clucas is a prime example of the career opportunities offered at the firm. After joining Kennedys as a trainee in September 2009 she made partner in less than ten years, in May 2019. She is qualified in England and Wales and is recognised by the Dubai Legal Affairs Department as a Legal Consultant.
Clucas represents insurers and their insureds in the investigation and defence of a variety of international large loss matters, including public and product liability, energy, construction, political risks and property damage claims. Clucas also has extensive experience of advising on international insurance and reinsurance coverage issues.
Bill Evans joined Kennedys in 2008 as a solicitor and was also promoted to partner in May 2019. He is dual qualified in Queensland, Australia (2006) and England and Wales (2010) as well as being recognised by the Dubai Legal Affairs Department as a Legal Consultant. Evans has been at the forefront of coordinating Kennedys’ global subrogated recoveries offering and working with insurers to organise their approach and maximise returns.
A seasoned litigator and dispute resolution practitioner, Evans predominantly acts for contractors and insurers in substantial fire, flood and property damage claims. Bill also assists both insurer and corporate clients in resolving high value international disputes arising out of commercial contracts, construction projects and machinery supply contracts through arbitration, adjudication and litigation.
Nick Thomas, senior partner at Kennedys said, “This is a move that has been welcomed by our clients, who value the multi-jurisdictional capabilities of our staff across the Kennedys global network. It also demonstrates the strong focus we place on our people by providing them with global development opportunities. I am sure that Victoria and Bill will be just as successful working out of the Middle-East as they have been in London.”
Peter Ellingham, partner and head of the firm’s Dubai office said, “I’ve worked closely with Bill and Victoria throughout their Kennedys’ careers and I am delighted to welcome them to the Dubai office. Given the global nature of our firm, Victoria and Bill have already been working with clients across the region for a number of years and this move will only seek to strengthen the opportunities to work in partnership with our global clients, particularly those in our newly opened office in Israel, across the Middle-East and via our associate offices in India.”
