UK insurance giant Clyde & Co is opening its ninth office in the U.S., with a launch in Los Angeles.
The office, which formally opens today, will initially consist of two partners: insurance partner Julie Hawkinson, who was one of the founding partners of the firm's San Francisco office in 2008, and new hire, Jim Koelzer, who joins from U.S. litigation firm Robins Kaplan.
Hawkinson advises clients on insurance coverage and defense work, and initially joined Clyde & Co from Duane Morris, where she was an associate. Koelzer's practice focuses on acting for insurers on coverage issues and disputes. Prior to entering private practice, he spent a year as a claims assistant at Lloyd's of London.
Of counsel Marie Roehm and associate Aaron Sussman have also joined Clyde & Co from Robins Kaplan, while Clyde & Co senior associate Natasha Mikha will relocate to the new office.
We've long operated in Los Angeles, but now is the right time to formalize our presence there, said Bill Casey, who chairs Clyde & Co's U.S. board. As a large and vibrant commercial center and hub for insurance litigation and aviation, our clients are increasingly looking for legal advice in the city. A permanent on-the-ground presence will help us deliver the best service to our clients and act as a platform to help recruit the finest legal and insurance talent in southern California and beyond.
Hawkinson said the firm looks forward to expanding its client base in the city by having a permanent base there. As well as its well-known prowess in the creative industries, L.A. also has a burgeoning technology sector based around Silicon Beach, which is leading to a growing volume of technology related activity for our insurance clients, she said.
Clyde & Co already has two offices in California: San Francisco, where it has 13 partners and 50 lawyers, and Long Beach, where it has three partners focused on marine and energy work.
In January the firm opened in Washington D.C. and Chicago with the hire of 10 partners from U.S. firm Troutman Sanders.
Clyde & Co first opened in the U.S. just over a decade ago and has now built up its presence to some 50 partners and 200 lawyers in nine offices across Atlanta, New Jersey, New York City and Miami, in addition to those listed above.
The latest round of expansion comes after Clyde & Co former senior partner James Burns stood down in November to take on a new role as Americas head. Speaking to Legal Week sister title The American Lawyer in January, Burns said the firm's U.S. revenue was forecast to hit $110-$120 million this year.