Cowell Clarke appoints new Managing Partner

Cowell Clarke appoints new Managing PartnerCommercial law firm Cowell Clarke has appointed Rob Comazzetto as its new Managing Partner as the firm continues its national expansion and growth of its online legal service offering.Mr Comazzetto, a long time Cowell Clarke partner, comes to the position with an extensive background in legal services as well as corporate and technology industry experience.He also steered the establishment of Cowell Clarke’s online legal service portal, positioning the firm at the forefront of the industry’s digital revolution. The portal, Cowell Clarke Connect, allows clients 24/7 digital access to a growing range of legal services from financial service licence compliance to debt collection.”Rob has a unique skillset, a broad level of experience and a clear vision of where the legal industry is heading into the future,” Cowell Clarke Chairman, Mr Brett Cowell said.”In an environment where clients from across the country and overseas are demanding increasing digital access and delivery of legal services, Rob’s appointment to Managing Partner is timely.”Not only has Rob built an exceptional career as a lawyer, he also has a successful track record in the corporate sector as a company director and entrepreneur. These broad skills and experience are extremely valuable as Cowell Clarke continues along its national growth path.”Rob joined Cowell Clarke as a partner in 1997, building a practice in business and corporate litigation as well as high technology commercialisation. He is also a founder of a technology company specialising in app development.His appointment to Managing Partner follows the decision by firm co-founder Jon Clarke to step down from the role. Mr Clarke will remain with the firm as partner to focus on growing his dispute resolution, mediation and corporate advisory practice.Mr Comazzetto said he was honoured to accept the role and would focus on steering the firm along its growth path, which would include further expansion along the eastern seaboard and in the digital realm.”The pace of change facing the legal industry is phenomenal. Clients are demanding more from their legal advisers and firms must adapt to change or risk becoming irrelevant,” Mr Comazzetto said.”With the exceptional people we have at Cowell Clarke we’re ideally positioned to take full advantage of the evolving market and stake our claim at the industry forefront.”Technology is having an enormous impact on the industry to the point where I would expect that in three years’ time around a quarter of our firm’s revenue will come from IT platform-based service delivery. We still are targeting growth in our staff numbers particularly in the eastern states.”While there are endless online possibilities, it’s important that quality is never compromised.”All our online services are based on high quality legal expertise and backed by the personal support of outstanding lawyers. We view our online service offering as complementary to our continued focus on providing the best tailored personal legal advice to our clients.”About Cowell Clarke Established in 1989 Cowell Clarke is a commercial law firm comprising more than 100 staff providing legal services, commercial advice and support to clients in all sectors of business and industry, across Australia and internationally. The firm has offices in Adelaide (head office) and Sydney and is a member of global legal network ALFA International.About Rob Comazzetto Admitted as a lawyer for over 30 years after graduating from law at the University of Adelaide, Rob has worked both in industry and legal practice, joining Cowell Clarke in 1997. Rob is a director of several companies. In his spare time he is a keen sailor, musician and an avid skier.