The office opens with three new partners, two of whom join the firm’s UK Professional and Financial Disputes (PFD) group and one who joins the Global Projects & Construction team.
The office opening means Clyde & Co now has 10 offices across the UK and further strengthens the firm’s national presence and capability.
The three new joining partners are:
- Ian Peacock, who joins from Womble Bond Dickinson where he has specialised in professional indemnity litigation for solicitors, accountants, brokers and financial advisers and where he set up the firm’s regional insurance practice in Bristol. Ian has particular experience in cases with a corporate, commercial and taxation background including some of the highest profile mis-selling scandals in recent years.
- John Eastlake, who joins from Kennedys in London where he was London Head of Professional Indemnity. He advises on professional negligence claims for solicitors, accountants, surveyors and architects as well as ‘new professions’ such as IT and marketing. John also provides risk management and claims prevention advice to professions, and advises D&O insurers in relation to policy coverage.
- Peter O’Brien, who joins from Clarke Wilmott. He is a leading lawyer in construction industry disputes and has more than 14 years’ experience. Peter specialises in construction dispute resolution, representing clients in a range of dispute forums in the UK and overseas. He represents both contractors and sub-contractors operating in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Prior to becoming a solicitor Peter worked as a quantity surveyor, having spent nearly a decade working on infrastructure projects in Asia.
Simon Konsta, Senior Partner at Clyde & Co, says: “We are focused on serving our clients when and where they need us, and this focus has driven our global and regional insurance growth strategy over the past decade. Bristol is a key centre for professional and financial disputes and infrastructure work, so having John, Ian and Peter on board gives us a great foundation, as well as a platform for further growth.”
Andrew Blair, Partner in Clyde & Co’s PFD group, comments: “Both Ian and John are hugely experienced and well known professional liability defence lawyers with strong track records of success, which have underpinned the building of two very successful practices and teams. Increasingly, clients want and need strong regional capability in addition to City capability. We already have an established PFD presence in Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Scotland. Bristol adds another piece in the jigsaw.”
John Morris, partner and head of the Global Projects & Construction Group at Clyde & Co, says: “Peter is a great addition to the team. With a number of major projects taking place in the South West of England, our clients increasingly need on the ground support in the region. Our new office in Bristol provides the perfect base for this.”
“He will also be an asset for our clients across the UK and internationally as he is an extremely talented litigator and his previous experience as a quantity surveyor gives him a unique understanding of the construction industry.”
Clyde & Co’s PFD group comprises over 150 lawyers in the UK and its professional liability practice has a long established reputation as a leading advisor on policy coverage, defending claims and regulatory proceedings, focusing on each of the major professions, as well as ’emerging professions’ such as recruitment, management consultants and IT professionals. The group operates across all Clyde & Co’s offices worldwide, with specialist professional liability teams in key jurisdictions.
With over 150 infrastructure lawyers across six continents, Clyde & Co’s Global Projects & Construction team delivers transactional and contentious legal services to the world’s most high profile and complex infrastructure projects. It has an established footprint across all infrastructure classes and particular skill in applying the developments in mature markets to assist both the private and public sectors in emerging territories.