Sydney, Australia - Meritas, the premier global alliance of independent law firms, has announced the appointment of Swaab Partner,James Skeltonas Chair of the Global Emerging Leaders Advisory Board (ELAB) at its Annual General Meeting in MexicoCity.
In this pivotal leadership role, James will guide initiatives to strengthen relationships among Emerging Leaders across Meritas'175global member firms and enhance resources that support anetwork of more than9,000lawyersworldwide.
James joins the leadership teamalongside:
- Molly Campolong- Chair-Elect (Robinson Gray, Columbia, South Carolina,USA)
- Jemma Forrest- Secretary (Anderson Strathern, Glasgow, United Kingdom:Scotland)
With astrong foundation inELABleadership since2023, James has played akey role in advancing Emerging Leaders initiatives globally and supporting young lawyers across Australia and New Zealand. He also serves on the leadership team of the Meritas Global Intellectual Propertygroup.
Reflecting on his appointment, James stated,"I am proud to take on this role within Meritas and look forward to continuing efforts to foster the development of emerging leaders within the global network. Iwould like to thank Swaab Managing Partner,Mary Digiglioand the Swaab partnership for their longstanding support of my involvement in Meritas and for enabling me to further strengthen Swaab's position as akey member within thenetwork."
He further expressed appreciation to Meritas ChairLuca Citton(Boughton Law, Vancouver, Canada) and the Meritas Board for their commitment toELAB's initiatives, and extended gratitude to outgoing ChairCharlotte Whitworth(Howard KennedyLLP, London, United Kingdom: England and Wales) for her contributions in elevatingELAB's visibility andprograms.
Swaab, the exclusive New South Wales member of Meritas, remains akey player in the international legal network, actively strengthening global collaboration and professional development. This commitment is further reinforced by James' appointment as Chair of the Global Emerging Leaders Advisory Board and Mary Digiglio's ongoing role as amember of the Meritas Women's Leadership Council since2021.
About Meritas
Meritas is aleading global alliance of independent law firms, offering high-quality legal expertise across diverse industries and jurisdictions. With more than180firms worldwide, Meritas provides seamless cross-border legal support for businesses andclients.