Employment & IR launch for Crawford’s Australian law firm
Date: February 2, 2022
Media Release 1 February 2022
MELBOURNE: HBA Legal, part of Crawford & Company®, the world’s largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management and outsourcing solutions, has again expanded its offering with the launch of an employment law and industrial relations practice.
The national firm has welcomed two Partners, Michelle Dawson and Emily Dempster, as well as Associate Nicole Davis, all formerly of Moray & Agnew.
HBA’s Director of Strategy & Growth, Nathan Hepple, said the new team would allow the business to evolve its offering for clients requiring assistance across general employment law, workplace relations, industrial relations and discrimination, as well as employment migration.
“Michelle and Emily have worked together for more than 10 years and have one of the best reputations in the legal industry when it comes to successfully tackling challenges faced by businesses across multiple sectors including manufacturing, transport, construction, water and not-for-profit.
“The addition of our new team complements our already strong Occupational Health and Safety practice,” he said.
Ms. Dawson said: “The client and employee proposition at HBA is unique in the market. Being a law firm in its own right, but also being genuinely part of something bigger, means there are not the same constraints that can be experienced in traditional law firms. That’s attractive from a personal perspective, but I believe it also extends to being able to create superior client-centric solutions for the businesses that trust us with solving their challenges.”
Mr. Hepple added: “As part of Crawford we are offering new and unique services, bold pricing models and creating legal solutions at the forefront of technology. There’s no doubt clients love it and great talent is being attracted to it too.”
Ms. Dawson predicted that employment practices liability work will soon represent a significant component of all employment-related back-end legal work in Australia.
“Much like we have seen in the UK in recent times, employment lawyers who do this type of work are best positioned to service the clients in this space,” she said.
Crawford Australia President Tim Jarman said the addition of legal services to the broader business just over 12 months ago has meant Crawford has an end-to-end offering that is unrivalled by its competitors.
“There is no other claims management business in the country that can be with the claim from start to finish – from ‘first notification of loss’ through to the Supreme Court. We call this our ‘One Crawford solution which simplifies the process for our clients because they only have to deal with one company across the life of the claim.
“While our roots are in adjusting, today we offer that and so much more. Our evolved seamless end-to-end solutions combine adjusting, TPA, forensic accounting, building & construction and legal. This means Crawford has economies of scale as a one-stop-shop and we are able to offer superior and cost-effective solutions to our customers,” Mr. Jarman said.
Michelle Dawson (Newcastle based) and Emily Dempster (Melbourne based) joined HBA on 1 February, while Nicole Davis (Melbourne based) begins later in the month. Dawson has over 25 years’ experience and has been at the partner level since 2015. Moving to HBA elevates Dempster from special counsel to partner. The pair has worked with Davis for the past five years.
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Media contact:
Sarah Tempest, Head of Communications (Crawford Legal Services)
0402 946 603
sarah.tempest@hbalegal.com
About Crawford®
Based in Atlanta, Crawford & Company (NYSE: CRD‐A and CRD‐B) is the world’s largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management and outsourcing solutions to carriers, brokers and corporates with an expansive global network serving clients in more than 70 countries. The Company’s two classes of stock are substantially identical, except with respect to voting rights and the Company’s ability to pay greater cash dividends on the non-voting Class A Common Stock (CRD-A) than on the voting Class B Common Stock (CRD-B), subject to certain limitations. In addition, with respect to mergers or similar transactions, holders of CRD-A must receive the same type and amount of consideration as holders of CRD-B, unless different consideration is approved by the holders of 75 percent of CRD-A, voting as a class. More information is available at www.crawco.com.
About Crawford Legal Services™
Crawford Legal Services™ (CLS) is reimagining legal services, offering clients a range of integrated and unbundled legal solutions both locally and globally. Crawford’s legal expertise has grown considerably in recent years, with around 400 employees in Australia, Chile and the UK focused on this sector. Legal services are a significant part of Crawford’s diversification strategy, supporting its goal to be the embedded partner of choice for clients worldwide across the insurance industry supply chain. As part of Crawford, CLS is not restricted by traditional thinking and is transforming service delivery and pricing models, while utilising leading Crawford technology. With Crawford an established leader in many of the existing and targeted growth territories for legal services, we are able to leverage the same sales channels and market entry points as the wider business while uniquely connecting our legal services around the world.
www.crawcolegal.com www.hbalegal.com