Law firm Jackson McDonald has announced a raft of leadership changes, including a new chair, board members and partners, along with new branding as it seeks to refresh its market profile.
Law firm Jackson McDonald has announced a raft of leadership changes, including a new chair, board members and partners, along with new branding as it seeks to refresh its market profile.
Elizabeth Tylich has been named the new chair, replacing Richard Sandover, who is stepping down after a decade in the role.
Ms Tylich, aged 43, said the firm decided it was time to transition to a new generation of leadership.
“The public perception of Jackson McDonald doesn’t reflect who we are today,” Ms Tylich told Business News.
“We may have a long and stable history, but our team is very progressive and innovative.”
JacMac is one of Western Australia’s oldest and largest law firms; with 89 legal professionals, it is ranked third on the BNiQ database.
Unlike nearly all its peers, it has never affiliated with a national or international firm, leaving a perception it has fallen behind.
And with 27 partners – even more than market leader Herbert Smith Freehills, which has 22 – it has been perceived as having a top-heavy structure.
To that point, Ms Tylich said clients enjoyed a high level of direct partner engagement, which was a positive.
She said JacMac was using technology to make its business more efficient, citing its ‘Get Paid Quick’ app for adjudication of building disputes, and its ROCCS automated contracting tool for the retirement living sector.
As well as a new chair, the firm has added three new partners to its board.
Alex Lustig, Anthony Bereyne and Simon Moen will join Ms Tylich, chief executive Malcolm Shelton-Agar and Isla McRobbie on the board.
In addition, JacMac has promoted commercial lawyer Emma Chinnery, energy and corporate lawyer Adel van der Walt, construction specialist Matthew Lang, and tax adviser David Murphy to partner.
Highlighting the generational change, Ms Tylich said a majority of the firm’s partners were aged in their 40s.
In tandem with the appointments, JacMac has unveiled a new visual identity with the tag line ‘multi-sector law’.
Ms Tylich said client surveys had highlighted its independence and WA focus as a distinct advantage.
She cited the firm’s detailed knowledge of state laws and ability to meet with clients personally at short notice among its competitive levers.
Ms Tylich, who has worked as a commercial lawyer at the firm since 1999, said she would continue her client practice as well as being chair.