Colin Biggers & Paisley announces nine senior promotions

Colin Biggers & Paisley is pleased to announce their latest round of promotions, with nine lawyers appointed to senior positions.

Effective 1 July 2020, Adrian Konstantinidis and Vanessa Gulesserian have been promoted to special counsel and Andrew Girgis, Leanne Dearlove, Valentina Garcia, Isabella Johnston, Zoe Elliott, Aaron Potter and Simone Rizzuto have been promoted to senior associate.

Adrian joined the practice as a paralegal back in 2008. Part of the Disputes and Investigations practice, he is an experienced practitioner acting in complex litigated matters and providing strategic advice to clients. Adrian has acted for a number of major Australian corporations particularly in defence of securities, employment, financial services and product liability related class actions. He also has extensive experience acting in disputes arising from investment management, corporate collapses and professional services.

Vanessa joined the practice in February 2012 as a paralegal and is part of the insurance practice in Sydney. She has experience working in insurance litigation with a focus on the defence of a wide range of general liability and professional indemnity claims.

Andrew joined the practice in May 2014 as a graduate. Since 2017 he has been a solicitor in the construction and engineering group. Andrew's main areas of practice include acting in large scale domestic and cross-border construction, engineering and infrastructure disputes as well as class actions.

Leanne joined the practice in November 2018. She practices in a range of employment matters assisting employers with claims brought against them including unfair dismissals, adverse action and discrimination complaints. 

Valentina joined the practice in 2018. She has particular expertise in the area of debt finance in the construction and commercial property industries, including acquisition and construction facilities, mezzanine, loan workouts, and related property work. 

Isabella is in the Disputes and Investigations team. She has acted on behalf of both plaintiff and defendant clients in a range of commercial and construction litigation matters, including construction and engineering companies, international corporations, large national businesses, small businesses, associations, not-for-profit groups, and high-net worth individuals.

Zoe joined the practice in July 2018 and works in the insurance practice and the Disputes and Investigations team. She has particular experience in governance and corporate risk management, including defamation advice and litigation, as well as advising corporate and government clients on reputational issues, including managing threats of litigation, pre-publication advice and advising on Independent Commission against Corruption enquiries.

Aaron joined Colin Biggers & Paisley as a graduate in 2015 and works predominantly in professional indemnity litigation with a focus on claims against solicitors. Over the past five years, Aaron has acted for a wide range of professionals including lawyers, accountants, real estate agents and financial advisors.

Simone is an experienced litigator who acts for insurers, and a wide variety of private and public professionals, and individuals in general liability and professional indemnity claims. Her experience includes acting in public liability matters, including accidents involving drivers and pedestrians, as well as medical negligence claims.

Managing Partner Nick Crennan said he is delighted to announce the latest senior promotions.

"We have some extraordinarily talented people in our practice. It gives the partnership and I great joy to see our people develop and become the future stars in our practice, this is how we create growth and future proof our practice for years to come."

This announcement follows the appointments of special counsel Katherine Jones, and senior associates Mark Evans and Adriana Reina to its Sydney office.

For more information please contact Linda Branton on 02 8281 4594 or linda.branton@cbp.com.au.

About Colin Biggers & Paisley

Colin Biggers & Paisley was founded over a century ago. Today we are a legal practice with 69 partners and 480 employees. We are highly regarded for our expertise in construction, insurance, property, government, commercial litigation and dispute resolution, banking and finance, corporate and commercial, employment and safety, planning and environment, restructuring and insolvency, transport and logistics. We act for major corporations, financial institutions, insurance companies, government departments and individuals. We have both the capacity and the expertise to deliver on complex national and multinational projects.

Colin Biggers & Paisley is based in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Through our growing Middle East Practice and our affiliation with ADVOC Asia, ADVOC International, ADVOC Europe and ADVOC Latin America, we are able to offer access to quality legal advice around the globe.

We launched the Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation in 2015, with a core focus on promoting and protecting the rights of women and children in Australia and abroad through an innovative mix of pro bono legal services, volunteering and charitable contributions.