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Quality and consistency through collaboration

We’re pleased to announce that Emma Gruschka and Matthew Hawker have been appointed Local Managing Partners (LMP) as at 1 January 2023. Emma will lead our Newcastle office while Matthew takes over further north in our Brisbane office.

Emma takes over an office that is Sparke Helmore’s spiritual home and one that has gone from strength to strength over the decades. Emma is an experienced workplace lawyer who advises on employment and work health and safety (WHS) issues for clients in diverse sectors, including mining, transport, financial services, insurance, health care and government.

Matthew will lead the Brisbane office through its next stage of growth. He is a highly regarded specialist lawyer who practises exclusively in Government administrative law litigation and Commonwealth compensation claims. Matthew also leads Sparke Helmore’s national Government Administrative Law service line and advises on and represents Commonwealth agencies, licensees and insurers in merits review and judicial review matters.

A huge thank you to Partners Alan McKelvey (Newcastle) and John Toigo (Brisbane) for their contribution and leadership during their time as LMPs. They have always put the culture of their respective offices and the health and wellbeing of staff first, particularly through the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

Congratulations again to Emma and Matthew!

About Sparke Helmore

We’ve come a long way since our doors first opened in the Hunter in 1882.  We’ve had an office in Sydney since the ‘60s and we recently opened our tenth office in Cairns.

We cover six key areas of law – Corporate & Commercial, Commercial Insurance, Government, Property Environment & Finance, Statutory Lines of Insurance and Workplace – with more than 30 specialised areas of expertise. We’re a truly national, full service and proudly Australian firm that delivers results through deep collaboration with our clients. Wherever our clients need us, that’s where we’ll be.

Covering a big country needs a big team—we’re more than 880 people now and still growing. And in true Australian spirit, we’re friendly, approachable and easy to work with. And when you work with one of us, you get the expertise of all of us.

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