Profile
“Westfield Specialty and I have been trying to make sure we are opportunistic in the marketplace and that has allowed us to grow profitably and create a broader and more diversified portfolio”
Jack Kuhn
Westfield Specialty
Samantha Smith is a highly regarded Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law and serves as the director and principal solicitor of Sandpiper Immigration Lawyers, located in Melbourne, Victoria. With more than a decade of experience in the migration sector, she is a trusted adviser to individuals and businesses navigating complex immigration matters. Her practice at Sandpiper Lawyers encompasses a variety of services, including character cancellation, waiver applications, Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) appeals and corporate immigration issues.
Before establishing Sandpiper Lawyers in 2022, Smith cultivated a successful career at various reputable law firms and global consulting agencies. She held the position of associate at WLW Migration Lawyers, where she provided comprehensive legal counseling on employer-sponsored migration, visa cancellations and intricate family sponsorship issues. Additionally, her professional background includes leadership roles at Pro-Link GLOBAL and Newland Chase, where she oversaw regional immigration teams across the Asia-Pacific region and managed substantial corporate migration cases for Fortune 500 companies.
Smith’s unwavering commitment to client service has garnered her recognition within the industry, including nominations for esteemed awards. Her extensive knowledge of both personal and corporate immigration laws, paired with her dedication to ensuring client success, positions her as a highly sought-after expert in her field. With a broad global understanding of migration and citizenship laws, she has assisted clients from various backgrounds facing a multitude of migration challenges over her more than 10 years of practice.
Smith takes pride in her ability to devise creative solutions to complex issues and is known for her empathetic and responsive service to clients. Her primary areas of interest include character cancellation/refusal, AAT appeals (migration and general division) and corporate migration matters, including migration compliance audits for mergers and acquisitions, as well as sponsorship issues. Notably, she boasts a 97% success rate across all visa and appeal types since her admission as a lawyer in Australia.
PO Box 1159, Kensington, Vic 3031
03 8676 7926
sam@sandpiperlawyers.com
linkedin.com/in/samantha-smith-1685247a
sandpiperlawyers.com
Samantha Smith
Director and Principal Solicitor
Sandpiper Immigration Lawyers
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“The biggest challenge is getting everyone comfortable with the pace that I’m looking for to drive our buildout and growth. How I deal with it is by being open and transparent, and responsive to questions or concerns”
Jack Kuhn
Westfield Specialty
2016–2018
2018–2021
2021–2022
Present
Present
2016: Global Immigration Consultant at Pro-Link GLOBAL
2016–2018: Regional Manager, APAC at Pro-Link GLOBAL (acquired by Newland Chase)
2016–
2018
Solicitor at WLW Migration Lawyers
2018–
2021
Associate at WLW Migration Lawyers
2021–
2022
Director and Principal Solicitor at Sandpiper Immigration Lawyers since 2022
2025 Client Choice Awards: Best Immigration Law Firm (less than $30M revenue) and Best Law and Related Services Firm (less than $30M revenue)
Present
Senior Associate at Piper Alderman since 2022
Recognised as a Key Lawyer in the 2025 edition of the Legal500 Asia Pacific rankings in Labour and Employment, Workplace Health and Safety
Present
Milestones
Aug 2022
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
Kuhn says, “I would say my career has been one of more of chance and opportunities than a set plan. And it’s interesting how one decision has a ripple effect on putting you on a different path than maybe where you thought you would be.”
He highlights his spell at Endurance as his biggest professional achievement to date.
“It took some time, but we took them from really being viewed as a reinsurance company to being viewed as a global insurance company.”
It’s this type of innovative attitude that is powering Westfield Specialty forward so successfully.
Kuhn explains, “Westfield Specialty and I have been trying to make sure we are opportunistic in the marketplace and that has allowed us to grow profitably and create a broader and more diversified portfolio.”
Part of this has seen the firm acquire the existing Lloyd’s of London Syndicate 1200 in February 2023. It is also Kuhn’s ingenuity that has allowed Westfield Specialty to outperform expectations in challenging market conditions.
“I would say it’s been the understanding that there is a limited window of time. We're in this unique market, we need to be fast and decisive to take advantage of market opportunities before the market begins to move away,” he comments. “Additionally, I'd like to say we move with a lot of speed, but we do it in a thoughtful and methodical approach, not just to be the first.”
However, it has been an intricate process to ensure his team are onboard with his vision. Kuhn places importance of explaining his targets and the blueprint to achieve them.
He adds, “The biggest challenge is getting everyone comfortable with the pace that I’m looking for to drive our buildout and growth. How I deal with it is by being open and transparent, and responsive to questions or concerns. This way, everything gets thoroughly discussed and resolved.”
With almost four decades in the industry, Kuhn has developed methods that have consistently delivered. It is why he has been tasked with so many leadership roles and he intends to maintain his focus on creating more success at Westfield Specialty.
“I think I am and have always tried to be methodical. I look at the big picture yet stay focused on executing the different opportunities or plans that I have in front of me. I don’t get emotional or make emotional decisions.”
Chief underwriting officer of executive risk at Chubb
President of financial insurance solutions at Kemper
Chief underwriting officer at Axis Capital
CEO of global Insurance at Endurance
CEO of global Insurance at Sompo International
Kuhn joined Westfield Specialty in the firm’s first year (2021) and has established the company’s presence in the specialty market. By the end of 2023, the firm is expected to surpass $1.3 billion in GWP after writing $300 million in 2021.
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