Simmons & Simmons boosts its global practice with the hire of employment partners Vicky Wickremeratne in London and Colleen Cleary in Dublin.
Vicky Wickremeratne is a highly recognised and experienced UK employment partner and re-joins Simmons after moving from an in-house role for a global investment firm and, prior to this, another international law firm.
Her practice focuses on high-value litigation - including discrimination, whistleblowing, trade secret and business protection claims - workplace investigations, and strategic people risk management.
With a strong reputation in the market and an expansive network of clients, including across financial institutions (FI), the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) and professional services sectors, she will provide the firm with great depth and expertise - expanding the reach of the firm's UK employment practice.
Colleen Cleary is a leading practitioner and seasoned litigator in employment law in Ireland, and joins as partner in Simmons' Dublin office through its strategic acquisition of specialist employment firm CC Solicitors - the firm that she founded.
Highly respected in the market and with a strong global outlook, her practice focuses on the full spectrum of employment law advice, and includes expertise in the FI, TMT and healthcare and life sciences (HLS) sectors.
The acquisition of CC Solicitors marks a significant enhancement of the firm's capabilities in Dublin, with a dedicated employment team in Ireland serving international and domestic clients. Colleen joins Simmons as partner, along with her team, two experienced senior lawyers, Regan O'Driscoll and Bernadette Daly.
The hires of Vicky and Colleen also follow the recent promotion to partner of Peter Lockwood in the firm's UK employment practice.
Commenting on the hire, Laurence Renard, partner and Head of the firm's international employment practice, said: Our international practice will gain immensely from these two strategic partner hires who will service influential global clients from our offices in London and Dublin. Vicky and Colleen are two highly respected and deeply experienced employment partners, and adding them to our already strong practice will enable us to bring our expertise to a wider pool of clients.
Andrea Finn, partner and head of the firm's UK Employment, Pensions and Incentives practice, said: We are very fortunate to have such a strong group of partners in London and I am delighted that Vicky is coming back to us again - she is a superb lawyer and will add hugely to the strength and breadth of our practice
Vicky Wickremeratne commented: I'm delighted to be returning to Simmons and the excellent platform it offers for my practice. I'm looking forward to working closely with colleagues in London and across the firm's international business to partner with its leading clients on their complex employment needs.
Colleen Cleary commented: Simmons is a fantastic fit for CC Solicitors, and I'm excited to be leading Simmons' dedicated employment practice in Dublin. My team's vast experience, together with Simmons' formidable global reach, will allow us to respond to the growing demand for employment law advice from multinational clients. By joining Simmons and Simmons, we will gain access to unparalleled global resources and expertise, while maintaining the trusted relationships and personalised service that defines our practic
This news story was originally published on the firm’s website.