Our Profession, Our People
22 April 2016 · LawTalk 886
New Law Society President Auckland lawyer Kathryn Beck assumed her new role as the New Zealand Law Society’s 30th President at the Society’s Council meeting on 15 April. She succeeded Chris Moore, who served as President for three years. A partner of boutique employment law firm SBM Legal, Ms Beck is the Society’s third woman President. Dame Judith Potter, who would go on to become a High Court Judge, was the Society’s first woman President. She served from 1991 to 1994. Dame Potter was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to the judiciary. The Society’s second woman President was Christine Grice, now the Society’s Executive Director. She was President from 2000 to 2003. Following an election in October 2015, Ms Beck became the Society’s PresidentElect (see LawTalk 877, 6 November 2015, page 23). The four Law Society VicePresidents were also declared elected at the Council’s 15 April meeting. They are: ▪▪ Auckland Vice-President, Tim Jones; ▪▪ Central North Island Vice-President, Tiana Epati; ▪▪ Wellington Vice-President, Nerissa Barber; and ▪▪ South Island Vice-President, Andrew Logan.
Kathryn Beck with her husband, Wayne Fowler, and daughters Maya (left) and Hannah. Counsel in Chorus – a choir composed of members of the Wellington legal community – perform at the Law Society Presidential Reception at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery on 14 April.
On the move solicitor in the banking and financial services team. Before joining Buddle Findlay, Kate worked in the regulation team at NZX.
Damien SteelBaker
Kate Maclean
Damien Steel-Baker has joined Buddle Findlay’s Wellington office as a senior solicitor in the corporate and commercial team. Damien specialises in commercial contracting and procurement with a focus on technology, media and telecommunications. Kate Maclean has joined Buddle Findlay’s Auckland office as a
Rainey Collins Lawyers has promoted Louisa Gommans to senior solicitor. Louisa is a commercial solicitor with the business and personal legal services team, assisting clients with sales and purchases Louisa Gommans of businesses, shareholders’ agreements, terms of trade, company constitutions, commercial advice, property, leases, trusts, asset protection, wills and estates. Louisa also assists iwi with Treaty
of Waitangi settlement implementation and provides post-settlement commercial advice. Buddle Findlay has appointed Aidan Prebble as a partner in its Christchurch office. Aidan specialises in environment and resource management, and local government law. He has acted for most of Aidan Prebble the district councils in Canterbury at various times, providing advice and representation in the Environment Court, High Court and Court of Appeal. He also acts for residential and commercial land developers on a wide range of projects.
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