U.S. firm Seyfarth Shaw has hired a health and safety partner and another lawyer from an Australian firm to join its Melbourne office.

Penny Stevens, a leading health and safety lawyer with more than 25 years of experience advising on all aspects of work health and safety, and criminal law, joins from Sparke Helmore, where she had been a partner since 2015. She joined Sparke Helmore from K&L Gates where she was also a partner. Prior to that she was a partner with Hall & Wilcox and before that worked at Freehills as special counsel.