Kennedys adds two Bermuda partners

Law firm Kennedys has added two partners to its Bermuda office.

Kennedys, which specialises in re/insurance, said it had appointed banking expert Simon Benedek and commercial litigator Laura Williamson as new partners.

Benedek is former principal at Benedek Lewin – a boutique corporate law firm in Bermuda – and specialises in all aspects of banking, finance and corporate law.

He qualified in the UK and worked in London for several years before moving to the island in 2005 where he has been involved in some of Bermuda’s biggest and most strategically important deals to date. They include the public-private partnership (PPP) refinancing of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, the sale and purchase of a number of major hotel developments, plus advising the Bermuda Government on the development of Bermuda’s first commercial scale solar facility.

Williamson, is a former London barrister who joined Kennedys in 2019. Kennedys said she has quickly established a successful commercial litigation and arbitration practice in Bermuda, advising and representing clients in relation to a broad range of commercial disputes, including trusts, corporate, insolvency, and insurance matters, with a particular focus on multi-jurisdictional issues. Laura has risen through the ranks at Kennedys due to her straightforward commercial advice, sound legal judgment and outstanding advocacy skills.

Lead partner in Bermuda, Mark Chudleigh, said: “We are delighted to welcome Simon whose enviable reputation precedes him, having been involved in numerous high profile and high value corporate transactions in Bermuda. I’d also like to congratulate Laura on her deserved promotion.

“She has developed a much sought-after practice in Bermuda and over the four years since joining Kennedys Laura has earned the respect of Kennedys’ clients as well as her colleagues and peers at the Bermuda Bar.”

Nicholas Miles, a partner with Kennedys in Bermuda, said: “Simon’s expertise in banking and finance make him a valuable asset to Kennedys’ commercial division, further cementing the firm’s international banking offering and enabling us to meet the growing demand from clients. Having worked alongside Laura these past few years, I have come to admire her straightforward and sound commercial advice and I am delighted to have her as a partner.”

Kenneds had  record revenue of £313million in 2023/23 – up 11% from the previous year – and was named market leader in this year’s Gracechurch London Market Insurance Law Monitor, an independent survey of insurance law firms.