Raynor Asher appointed chair of the Media Council

The former president of the NZ Bar Association and ex-Judge of the Court of Appeal, Raynor Asher has been appointed chairman of the New Zealand Media Council. Mr Asher retired as a Judge of the Court of Appeal earlier this month. He will take over from Sir John Hansen, who has chaired…

Bell Gully welcomes two lawyers

Bell Gully has welcomed two new lawyers. Melissa Ahlefeldt has been appointed senior associate. Melissa specialises in commercial contracting and legal advice across both public and private sectors. She was admitted in 2011 in Australia graduating LLB(Hons) from the Australian National University. Melissa was most recently a senior associate at Ashurst. Courtenay…

Anthony Harper acquires and promotes staff

Anthony Harper has announced a number of new appointments and promotions. Lucy George has been promoted to senior associate. She has expertise in commercial and regulatory litigation (including financial services regulation). Lucy recently returned from London where she was in-house counsel for a major retail bank. Before moving overseas she worked…

Norris Ward McKinnon awards 2019 University of Waikato scholarships

Hamilton law firm Norris Ward McKinnon has awarded its 2019 University of Waikato scholarships to Thilini Karunaratne and Phoebe Parson. The scholarships are worth up to $11,000 each and are for students doing postgraduate study in any area of law. Masters student Thilini Karunaratne's research focuses on issues surrounding privacy, particularly in…

Debra Angus joins Lambton Chambers

Debra Angus has joined Wellington’s Lambton Chambers as a barrister sole. Debra Angus.  Debra has a wide range of experience in public, parliamentary and constitutional law, as well as maritime, regulatory, health and safety and public finance issues. She was the Deputy Clerk of the House until 2015, a Legislative Counsel in the…

Katie Green joins Flacks & Wong

Katie Green has joined Flacks & Wong as a senior associate. Katie is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer, having advised on a range of M&A, private equity and capital markets transactions as well as corporate governance matters. Before joining Flacks & Wong she was a senior associate at Herbert Smith Freehills…

Wynn Williams appoints partners and senior associates

Wynn Williams has announced the appointment of two partners and seven senior associates. Andrew Watkins has been promoted to partner in the national dispute resolution team after joining the firm in December 2018.  Andrew is based in the Christchurch office and has over 25 years’ experience specialising in complex relationship property estate…

Hayden Smith joins Burton Partners as Special Counsel

Hayden Smith has joined Burton Partners as special counsel.   Hayden Smith.  A graduate of Auckland University, Hayden was admitted in 2005 and has since practised in the field of corporate and commercial law.   His principal focus is on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, capital raising, commercial contracts and corporate advisory.   Hayden has particular expertise…

Graeme Colgan elected UNAT Judge

Former Chief Employment Judge Graeme Colgan has been elected by the United Nations General Assembly to be one of three new judges on the seven-member UN Appeals Tribunal (UNAT) for a 7-year term from 1 July 2019. Graeme Colgan.  The UNAT is the final appellate court in employment-related disputes involving the staff…

Kate Bradley returns to Buddle Findlay

Kate Bradley has re-joined Buddle Findlay's Christchurch office as a senior solicitor in the corporate and commercial team. Kate Bradley.  Kate advises on a range of property, corporate and commercial matters with a particular focus on development and construction. Kate returns after three years working in the real estate department of a central…