5 February, 2016
Global law firm Clyde & Co has recruited leading occupational, health, safety and security partners Michael Tooma and Alena Titterton from Norton Rose Fulbright.
Michael is widely considered Australia's leading health and safety lawyer, and was the Asia Pacific head of Occupational Health Safety and Security (OHSS) at Norton Rose Fulbright. He was also Australian head of the Regulations and Investigations practice and the Government practice at the firm.
In his new role at Clyde & Co Michael will lead the OHSS practice across the Asia Pacific region and continue to advise clients globally on health, safety, security, compliance and regulatory issues and assists in the development and implementation of global safety management systems.
Michael has written and lectured extensively on OHS law and is actively involved in law reform in occupational health and safety. He assisted in the drafting of National Model Mine Safety legislation in Australia and is an active commentator on developments in the law and practice in the area, such as the Ministerial Advisory Panel on Safety Legislation Reform for the Department of Mines and Petroleum (Western Australia).
Alena’s client experience spans the public and private sectors and includes defence, energy, gas, construction, infrastructure, mining, transport and rail. Her practice includes assisting clients in the preparation of safety due diligence frameworks for officers, safety management systems, safety performance reporting systems and conducting legal gap analyses for compliance against the Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws.
Clyde & Co Managing Partner Australia, John Edmond, said of the appointments: "The addition of two standout lawyers such as Michael and Alena is further evidence of the firm's aim to recruit the best lawyers in the region working in areas that complement our existing practice areas and sectors."
Michael said of his move to Clyde & Co: "We were attracted to Clyde & Co's global platform, particularly in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East, and the strength and reputation of the firm in the aviation, construction and the oil and gas industries. These are industries that have been an area of focus of ours from a health and safety perspective for a number of years.
"In the construction sector, the move to Clyde & Co represents an opportunity to consolidate work in one firm which has depth of expertise across construction and safety. In aviation, where Clyde & Co is synonymous with excellence in casualty work related to aviation accidents, clients will now have the opportunity to use the same firm for their regulatory work and casualty work."
For other clients, the opportunity to have access to Clyde & Co's market-leading insurance practice is exciting as it represents a one-stop-shop for all their needs in response to an incident, added Michael.
Alena and Michael will also be joined by eight specialist lawyers. "We have an ambitious time frame in mind to establish a national occupational health and safety team; early last year, we appointed special counsel Nicholas Beech in Perth and the addition of two highly experienced partners in Sydney and their lawyers will significantly bolster our capability in this key practice area," added John.
