Specialist insurance law firm Sparke Helmore has strengthened its commercial insurance team with a new slate of promotions.

Mark Sainsbury of Brisbane and Colin Davidson of Sydney were appointed commercial-insurance partners. Sydney-based Summer Foley, Dino Liistro, Emily McKeowen, and Laura Rush, as well as Melbourne's Jehan Mata, were named new special counsels. Adelaide-based Lani Carter, Aimee Dash of Perth, and Brisbane's Shannon Steed were promoted to senior associates.

Two new senior associates for statutory-lines insurance were also named – Kelvin Defranciscis and Laura Hinwood, both in Canberra.

Completing the firm's 25 mid-year promotions were new partners Hannah Rose (pro bono) and Emanuel Oros (corporate and commercial), new special counsels Catherine Morton (corporate and commercial), Oliver Young (government), and Sam Jackson (workplace), new senior associates for corporate and commercial, Alinta Briggs, Samantha Smith, Sasha Vleeshouwer, and Luke Woodward, and new senior associates for government, Adam Cunynghame, Samantha Ferry, Andrew Keevers, and Alanna Lucchese.

"We had a record number of high-performing individuals put forward for promotions this year, which was excellent to see and shows we are on the front foot when it comes to harnessing and cultivating our pipeline of talent,” said Phillip Salem, national managing partner. “Through our internal mentoring and re-developed career pathways programs, we are investing in our future leaders more than ever before and it's paying dividends. The firm is going from strength to strength, having recently bolstered our commercial insurance offering, among other huge successes so far this year."

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