NZ Lawyer Rising Stars 2021

SPECIAL REPORT

NZ Lawyer celebrates 39 young legal professionals who rose to the occasion in a year of unprecedented challenges

CONTENTS

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Feature article .............................................. 2 Methodology ................................................ 3 Rising Stars 2021 list ................................... 5 Profiles .......................................................... 6

SPECIAL REPORT

RISING STARS

NEW ZEALAND LAW’S BRIGHTEST STARS THE NEW decade started off with a bang – but not quite the bang people were expecting. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, transforming the way the world operated.

This was no less true for New Zealand’s legal industry. When the country was placed under Alert Level 4 lockdown in March 2020, courts were pushed to go virtual, adopting audio-visual link technology and electronic documents in proceedings. Capital raisings became common transactions, as did sales and acquisitions. Moreover, pandemicprompted changes to business operations altered the landscape of employment law.

In spite of these obstacles, many young lawyers rose magnificently to the challenge, working together with their organisations to deliver strongly in 2020.

Service delivery in remote work While COVID-19 restrictions gradually eased in New Zealand, the pandemic essentially defined the year, and adaptability to COVID-19-driven changes in work arrangements proved crucial to the measure of success in many sectors.

Lawyers, both those working in-house and those operating from within law firms, had to adapt to remote work, providing

“The legal profession and the courts’ agile response with new technologies … has made day-to-day working practice more efficient and sustainable” Melissa Hammer, Anderson Lloyd

RISING STARS BY FIRM SIZE

5%

18% Small firms (fewer than 50 lawyers)

21%

Mid-size firms (51–100 lawyers)

56%

Large firms (more than 100 lawyers) In-house legal departments

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advice to clients from behind computer screens. They faced the challenge of delivering services effectively without being able to meet in person. Lawyers’ comfort level in using technology to achieve their ends became key to how well they could represent in court, for instance, especially in the face of client concerns.

“The legal profession and the courts’ agile response with new technologies and adapting to virtual hearings, electronic filings, and witnessing has made day-to-day working practice – beyond the lockdown – more efficient and sustainable and is a significant change for the better,” says Melissa Hammer, a litigator at Anderson Lloyd and

one of this year’s Rising Stars. “The remote work setup had many benefits – particularly more time in the day with less travel and distractions.”

While Hammer acknowledges the reality of ‘Zoom fatigue’ and the difficulty of shifting from work to home life, she believes that many practitioners benefited from the increased flexibility and the lifting of the stigma around remote work.

While some had to adjust to remote work on the fly, there were those who made the shift more easily, having already trialled working from home to some extent. One example was Rising Star Luke Bowers, a senior associate at Chapman Tripp, who had been working primarily from a home office in Hamilton since 2018.

But remote work created a new obstacle for those who were just making strides in their careers, such as Rising Star Mary Rozeboom, who joined independent trustee

COVID-19’s industry impacts Over the past year, the pandemic has crippled economies all over the world, and virtually no sector has been immune to its effects.

As a result, many companies have had to scale back their operations and have needed top-notch legal advice to carefully navigate employment agreements.

In-house employment lawyer and Rising Star Anna Nathu works with Air New Zealand’s pilot management team as a workplace relations advisor. Among her responsibilities in 2020 was to help the airline respond to the crisis quickly while still meeting its obligations with union partners.

During this time, she saw heightened collaboration among employment lawyers.

“There was a positive level of informationsharing across the profession as the pandemic response unfolded,” Nathu says.

“Employment lawyers around the country were considering and advising on similar

“There was a positive level of informationsharing across the profession as the pandemic response unfolded. It seemed to me that the profession was quick to exchange ideas and help each other out”

METHODOLOGY Starting in November 2020, NZ Lawyer invited law firms and in-house legal teams to nominate outstanding young professionals in the New Zealand legal industry for the second annual Rising Stars list. Nominees had to be age 35 or under (as of 31 January) and have shown leadership qualities and recorded significant achievements early in their careers.

To ensure the focus remained on emerging talent, past winners were not eligible to enter again. The NZ Lawyer team asked for submissions to be supported with both qualitative and quantitative data where possible.

The team received nominations from across the board, including toptier law firms and the in-house legal departments of leading companies.

The team evaluated more than 80 high-quality submissions from specialists in a variety of practice areas, including employment and corporate law, and considered the recommendations made by each nominee’s superiors and colleagues.

After examining the nominees’ leadership and achievements, the team whittled down the list to the 39 most promising young lawyers in New Zealand’s legal industry.

Anna Nathu, Air New Zealand company Perpetual Guardian right as the pandemic hit in March 2020.

“No one expected a new starter to come on board and have to contend with COVID-19 lockdown and the restrictions of Level 3,” says Theresa Donnelly, legal services manager at Perpetual Guardian.

“While Mary had the full support of the team, there was a lot she simply had to work out for herself.”

questions in various contexts. It seemed to me that the profession was quick to exchange ideas and help each other out.”

In-house counsel also found themselves having to step up their game as more than legal advisors.

“As a legal team supporting our business in a fast-evolving situation, we had to guide colleagues while keeping a cool head and focusing on the legal issues,” says Kristy

2nd annual NZ Lawyer Rising Stars list

100+ nominations received

from

40 firms and companies

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SPECIAL REPORT

RISING STARS

RISING STARS BY YEAR OF ADMISSION Before 2010

5 2010-2015

29 2016-2020

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“I hope that firms will continue to embrace and lock in the progress we have made with new technology and flexible working arrangements” Ed McGimpsey, Buddle Findlay Redfern, GC and company secretary at AIA New Zealand. “We were integral in the business response to the pandemic, advising our board, supporting the industry response and keeping our regulators updated on our response and emerging issues.”

For lawyers in private practice, expertise in employment law also played a role in a number of significant deals in 2020. For instance, when global firm DLA Piper advised media giant Discovery on its acquisition of MediaWorks’ TV business, the firm called on employment law specialist Julia MacGibbon, one of this year’s Rising Stars, to conduct the necessary employment due diligence.

Scaling back has also meant divestment for some companies, which helped to boost M&A activity during the second half of 2020. Many firms stepped up their work in

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the commercial space in this time, in many cases completing transactions while coordinating with clients from home. International experience proved valuable as well, as there were many cross-border deals on the table last year.

The new landscape for law in 2021 While New Zealand has returned to a semblance of normalcy, the legal industry has undeniably changed. Thus, the support lawyers have extended to one another continues to be valuable.

“We checked in on each other regularly, not only to keep across and on top of work priorities, but also informally for a coffee or chat,” Redfern says. “It was great to have the benefit of a wide support network, both internally and externally, to discuss and

resolve common issues and manage the workload. We remain optimistic for 2021 with the vaccine roll-out and the continued containment of the virus in New Zealand; however, we expect there to be continued economic challenges for some.”

Nathu echoes the opinion that the developments in COVID-19 vaccination will impact the profession this year. “I predict that health and safety will be front of mind for many employers in 2021, from issues around mental health to safe work environments for increasingly remote workforces and the implications of being – or not being – vaccinated for COVID-19,” she says.

Meanwhile, Rising Star Ed McGimpsey, a senior associate at Buddle Findlay, has observed how New Zealand’s containment of COVID-19 has spurred increased demand in some practice areas.

“I think 2021 will be a busy year,” he says.

“In my area – construction and projects – there seems to be strong appetite to get on with projects and make the most of the unique position that New Zealand finds itself in. More generally, I hope that firms will continue to embrace and lock in the progress we have made with new technology and flexible working arrangements.”

As the new year gets underway, NZ Lawyer celebrates 39 young lawyers who, early in their careers, have grasped the opportunity to stand out among their peers. At a time when training became a difficult prospect, they took initiative to either educate themselves or to mentor others. They also adapted to technology to continue to deliver excellent service to clients, despite being unable to meet in person.

These 39 young lawyers have received the admiration of their fellows in the field, making them worthy of recognition by the greater industry. Read on to find out which young New Zealand lawyers are ready to take the world by storm.

Aasha Foley

Renika Siciliano

Partner/Director

Executive Director

iCLAW Culliney Partners

McCaw Lewis

Phone: 07 929 4300 Email: aasha@iclaw.com Website: iclaw.com

Phone: 07 838 2079 Email: renika.siciliano@mccawlewis.co.nz Website: mccawlewis.co.nz

Jenny Turner

Shane Campbell

Partner

Partner

Wynn Williams

Wynn Williams

Phone: 03 379 7622 Email: email@wynnwilliams.co.nz Website: wynnwilliams.co.nz

Phone: 03 379 7622 Email: email@wynnwilliams.co.nz Website: wynnwilliams.co.nz

Alastair Espie Senior associate Duncan Cotterill

Ed McGimpsey Senior associate Buddle Findlay

Luke Bowers Senior associate Chapman Tripp

Alice Wood Legal counsel Kiwibank

Georgina Sanders In-house counsel Mainfreight

Mary Rozeboom Solicitor Perpetual Guardian

Hayden Roberts Senior associate Bell Gully

Anna Nathu Senior workplace relations manager, pilots Air New Zealand

Matthew Morgan Legal business partner Spark

Holly Hill Partner MinterEllisonRuddWatts

Matthew Prendergast Senior associate Simpson Grierson

Ashton Goatley Senior associate Webb Henderson

Jeremy Jones Legal counsel AIA New Zealand

Melissa Hammer Senior associate Anderson Lloyd

Brad Ward Senior associate Bell Gully

Julia MacGibbon Senior associate DLA Piper

Caleb Hensman Partner Russell McVeagh

Kate Tidbury Senior associate Simpson Grierson

Anna Cherkashina Associate Norling Law

Charlotte Evans Associate Dentons Kensington Swan Chris Jury Employment relations specialist Canterbury and West Coast District Health Boards

Morgan Evans Solicitor Buddle Findlay Natasha Cannon Senior associate Wotton + Kearney

Ling Yan Pang Senior associate, banking and finance Russell McVeagh

Olivia Lund Partner Duncan Cotterill

Louise Trevena Downing Associate Dentons Kensington Swan

Olivia Welsh Senior associate Anthony Harper

Rachel Brown Senior associate Anderson Lloyd Rosa Winter Senior lawyer Friends of the Earth Sam Holden Senior associate Chapman Tripp Simon Davies-Colley Director WRMK Lawyers Tom Cleary Senior associate Chapman Tripp Tom Gillespie Senior associate Russell McVeagh Tom McLaughlin Senior associate Dentons Kensington Swan Tyler Bellingham Associate Rice Speir

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SPECIAL REPORT

RISING STARS JENNY TURNER Partner Wynn Williams

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partner at Wynn Williams, Jenny Turner is an integral part of the firm’s large private client and property team. Turner has been with Wynn Williams since 2015, starting out as a solicitor before rapidly rising through the ranks. By March 2018, she was a senior associate at the firm; she was promoted to partner in September 2020.

A capable lawyer with a fantastic client service ethic, Turner has been managing her own clients and files for a number of years. She was seconded to one of New Zealand’s largest regional councils to assist with property and other general legal advice needs, and she was also part of a significant project involving a regional council and the local rūnanga, overseeing the negotiation with landowners. Thorough and efficient in her legal work, Turner works hard to ensure she is delivering the best service to her clients. She enjoys interacting with her clients, providing them with sound legal advice in a straightforward manner and language they understand. She has also helped develop the firm’s approach to innovation with the creation of an online will and EPA service for clients who want to draft their own documents.

Prior to joining Wynn Williams, Turner was a solicitor at a provincial firm in Marlborough.

While there, she began developing her expertise in commercial transactions, residential conveyancing, company incorporation and formation, estate planning, family trust work, and financing transactions.

RENIKA SICILIANO Executive Director McCaw Lewis

T

he executive director of Waikato-based law firm McCaw Lewis, Renika Siciliano is an impressive legal leader with visionary strategic thinking and a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion. Siciliano has made history with McCaw Lewis, becoming the youngest appointed leader and the first Māori woman of the firm’s board of directors.

She leads the firm’s workplace law team and co-leads the Māori legal team. She also sits on a number of external boards, developing deep working relationships with clients and giving back to the industry and the wider community.

Siciliano represents clients from across Aotearoa and provides them legal and strategic advice using her extensive knowledge across a range of areas, including Treaty settlement negotiations, Māori governance and iwi disputes. She represented Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki in relation to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Tribal Trust v Minister of Conservation and has worked with clients in some of the first substantive matters to be heard under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act. Siciliano has recently presented to the EMA, Waikato Chamber of Commerce, Pacific Business Network Survey and Spatial NZ on employment matters during the COVID-19 lockdown. She was also a key presenter at the 18th Annual Māori Legal, Business and Governance Forum in 2020.

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AASHA FOLEY Managing Partner/Director iCLAW Culliney Partners

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arly into her 30s, Aasha Foley has already made incredible strides in the legal profession. A new mum and managing partner of a firm with 17 staff and two offices, Foley leads a team of young lawyers. Specialising in corporate and commercial law, she has experience in commercial, property and finance transactions, as well as intellectual propertyrelated commercial transactions. She handles everything from $150m developments to debt from offshore lenders and investors, as well as international, SME and private clients.

Foley took the hard road into the profession, driven by a desire to help people succeed using the law. Her legal journey started in 2011, when she took a position as a trade mark and patent secretary with James & Wells. She then quickly moved into the new commercial team, juggling life as a personal assistant, patent secretary and law clerk. After demonstrating an ability to handle an enormous workload across a variety of practice areas, Foley was subsequently appointed as a solicitor.

After a short period of time and experience in another leading Waikato firm, Foley had built a thriving practice focused on SMEs, private clients and property developers. In 2017, she co-founded iCLAW with her business partner and long-time colleague, Owen Culliney.

It’s been nearly four years since then, and Foley continues to excel in her career, assisting clients with their commercial endeavours.

SHANE CAMPBELL Partner Wynn Williams

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or someone so young, Shane Campbell already boasts an enviable list of accomplishments in the legal profession. From nabbing first-class honours in law from the University of Canterbury in 2014, as well as the University Prize in Law and awards in tax, intellectual property, and family law throughout his degree, Campbell is now a rising star at Wynn Williams, where he leads the civil litigation practice in the South Island, supervising a large and busy team. His recent promotion to partner of the firm’s national dispute resolution team is a reflection of his exceptional performance at Wynn Williams, from the breadth and complexity of matters he undertakes to his leadership of his team and his contributions to the wider legal profession.

Notable cases Campbell has handled over the past 12 months include McNeish v McArthur, in which he defended a claim that mirror wills were mutual wills that created a constructive trust over the assets of the deceased. He served as sole counsel in Gloria Jean’s Coffees International v Daboko, successfully arguing that a benefit in practice is all that is required for consideration in a contractual variation case.

Prior to Wynn Williams, Campbell was a law tutor and research assistant at the University of Canterbury and a judge’s clerk at the High Court of New Zealand. He is also a member of the New Zealand Law Society Civil Litigation and Tribunals Committee.

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