Kennedys’ longtime leader, Nick Thomas, is standing down as senior partner in January, ending a marathon tenure at the head of the UK insurance law firm that has spanned 27 years.

News of the move comes at the same time as the UK-based firm announced a new global managing partner, with US managing partner Meg Catalano due to take up the post on 1 November, replacing Suzanne Liversidge who retired from Kennedys’ partnership at the end of July after 15 years with the firm. 

A Kennedys spokesperson said: “After leading the firm for the last 27 years through tremendous growth and success, we can confirm that Nick Thomas will be standing down as Kennedys’ global senior partner in January 2025.”

The spokesperson added that Thomas would be “leading the governance process to appoint a new senior partner for the firm” although they said the firm would not be commenting on the process “to ensure the integrity of the internal election”.

Law.com, however, has reported that an election is expected to take place next month, with the winner announced in January 2025. The firm has confirmed that Thomas will remain at the firm as a partner once he has stepped down as senior partner, a role he assumed in 1996 and has held thanks to successive re-elections, the last reported instance of which was in 2016. 

Meanwhile, ahead of the appointment of a new senior partner, the firm is preparing to welcome its first global managing partner based outside the UK, although Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based Catalano will relocate to its London office in 2025. 

Catalano has been a partner of Kennedys since 2017, when it merged with US firm Carroll McNulty & Kull (CMK), where she had practised for nearly 14 years. 

Following the merger she became Kennedys’ US regional managing partner and joined the firm’s global strategy board, the pre-cursor to its five-strong executive group, of which she is currently a member. 

She will be responsible for the strategic and operational management of the firm’s global network of 48 offices. 

Her predecessor, Suzanne Liversidge became the first woman to be named global managing partner of a UK top 30 law firm when she was appointed in 2019. A Kennedys spokesperson said Liversidge had been “instrumental” in the firm’s growth and success. 

“Over the years, she contributed a huge amount to the firm and was highly regarded across the business, as well as by many of our clients. She is greatly missed, and we wish her well,” the spokesperson added. 

“I am proud to be taking on this new role,” Catalano said. “When CMK first merged with Kennedys we had 1,700 people operating across 32 offices. Today, Kennedys has 2,900 people, operating across 48 offices in 21 countries. We have achieved so much, and I am honoured to help lead the firm through continued global growth to bring the firm’s vision and strategy to life.”

Catalano, who specialises in resolving insurance and reinsurance coverage disputes through litigation and arbitration, has overseen the rapid growth of Kennedys’ US network in recent years. 

The firm kickstarted its US growth push with its merger with CMK, a move that saw it add 100 lawyers and five offices across the US to its original base in Miami. Since 2020 the firm has expanded that network to 12 offices, while US lawyer headcount has grown more than 60% in that time to around 215. 

North America now makes up almost half of the firm’s international revenue and saw the most significant growth by region in FY23/24, when revenue grew 22% to £94m. Meantime global turnover grew in that period by 17% to a record high of £384m, marking the firm’s 10th consecutive year of revenue growth.

Eric Hiller, Kennedys’ Florida managing partner, will succeed Catalano as managing partner for the US. Miami-based Hiller joined the firm four years ago from insurance rival Clyde & Co and represents insurers in high-profile coverage litigation and bad faith matters across the US, the Virgin Islands and the greater Caribbean.

The firm has also named Michael Hennessy as regional managing partner for Latin America and the Caribbean. Hennessy joined Kennedys from Clydes back in 2011, and in 2016 helped to launch its Mexico City office where he is currently based. 

Hennessy commented: “In just eight years, Kennedys has established itself as one of the biggest and fastest growing insurance law firms in Latam. As a founding partner of the Mexico City office, moving into this role is really meaningful to me, and I am looking forward to continue making Kennedys the firm of choice for our people and our clients.”