Two senior DLA Piper partners are set to join Mills Oakley in Sydney and Melbourne: Tom Cantwell will join the Melbourne property team and Michael Down will join the Sydney insurance practice.

Cantwell was previously head of the Melbourne real estate team at DLA Piper. He has more than 20 years’ experience on complex and high-value, property-based transactions and chairs the State Taxes Committee of the Property Council of Australia.

Down joins from DLA Piper’s insurance team and acts in the areas of general liability, professional indemnity, insurance and defamation. He has acted in a number of cases before the High Court and in many matters regarding the NSW Civil Liability Act.

“Tom Cantwell and Michael Down are two outstanding legal practitioners in their fields of expertise,” said Mills Oakley CEO, John Nerurker. “We see a lot of opportunities for the firm in advising on insurance and property matters, so it is an ideal time to ensure that Mills Oakley provides an integrated first-class legal offering across the Australian marketplace." 

Mills Oakley expects to make further additions to its 45 partner practice this year.