THE NEW ZEALAND LAW AWARDS 2018 FINALISTS
DEAL AWARDS
If you or your firm contributed to any of the shortlisted deals below and deserve credit for your participation, or if you have been incorrectly noted, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NICHE Recruitment M&A Deal of the Year
Genesis acquisition of Nova LPG business
- Firms: Atkins Holm Majurey; Bell Gully; SBM Legal; Thompson Blackie Biddles; Webb Henderson
NZ Super Investment into Fidelity Life Assurance
- Firms: Chapman Tripp; Harmos Horton Lusk; Russell McVeagh
Opus International Consultants takeover by WSP Global
- Firms: Bell Gully; Chapman Tripp; Simpson Grierson
Sale of Mainland Poultry to Navis Capital
- Firms: Ashurst; Bell Gully; Gilbert + Tobin; MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Shell New Zealand divestment programme
- Firms: Ashurst; Bell Gully; Chapman Tripp; Simpson Grierson
Sponsored by

Capital Markets Deal of the Year
IFC green bond issuance
- Firms: Chapman Tripp
Infratil's Metlifecare block trade
- Firms: Baker McKenzie; Buddle Findlay; Chapman Tripp
Livestock Improvement Corporation capital restructure
- Firms: Simpson Grierson
Oceania Healthcare IPO
- Firms: Allens; Russell McVeagh; Simpson Grierson
Precinct subordinated convertible notes offer
- Firms: Baker McKenzie; Chapman Tripp
Mid-Market Deal of the Year
BBC Technologies sale to TOMRA Foods
- Firms: Bell Gully; MinterEllisonRuddWatts; Tompkins Wake
Fliway Group acquisition by Yang Kee Group
- Firms: Ashurst; Bell Gully; Chapman Tripp; Gadens; Harmos Horton Lusk Limited; Mayne Wetherell
- Advisors: KordaMentha
- Banks: ANZ; First New Zealand Capital; United Orient Capital
Sale of AJ Park
- Firms: Chapman Tripp; Watson Mangioni; Webb Henderson
Scales acquisition of OceanAir
- Firms: Anthony Harper; Cornwall Stodart
Vodafone acquisition of BayCity
- Firms: Buddle Findlay; Crengle Shreves & Ratner
Consumer, Media and Tech Deal of the Year
Centrality Investments token-generating event
- Firms: Bell Gully; Wong Partnership
New Zealand's first telecommunications network sharing arrangement
- Firm: Bell Gully; MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Sale of Icebreaker to VFC
- Firms: Chapman Tripp; Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP; Simpson Grierson
Sale of Trilogy to CITIC Capital Partners
- Firms: Anderson Lloyd; Chapman Tripp; MinterEllisonRuddWatts
International Deal of the Year
Lattice Energy acquisition by Beach Energy
- Firms: Chapman Tripp; Gilbert + Tobin; Herbert Smith Freehills; Russell McVeagh
Merger of BJ Ball, KW Doggett and Japan Pulp & Paper
- Firms: Baker McKenzie; Clarendon Lawyers; Harmos Horton Lusk Limited; Herbert Smith Freehills; Russell McVeagh; Quigg Partners; Webb Henderson
- Banks: Moelis Australia
Suntory sale of NZ food assets
- Firms: MinterEllisonRuddWatts; Simpson Grierson
Rembrandt New Zealand Deal of the Year
Winners of the market-specific deal awards will become finalists in this category.
The finalists will be revealed at the awards ceremony.
Sponsored by

IN-HOUSE AWARDS
Anthony Harper Young In-House Lawyer of the Year (35 or under)
- Emily Acland, Vocus Group
- Kelly Baxter, Spark New Zealand
- Rebecca Campbell, Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited
- Megan Potter, Cooper Aitken Limited
- Anton Smith, 2degrees
- Clare Waalkens, Mercury
- Jono Willis, Lion
- Madeleine Wright, Environmental Defence Society
Sponsored by

MinterEllisonRuddWatts In-House Lawyer of the Year
- David Bricklebank, ANZ
- Andrew Cordner, Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited
- Theresa Donnelly, Public Trust
- James Hassall, Auckland Council
- Kathryn Mitchell, Crown Infrastructure
- Rodney Morris, Spark
- Pip White, Paymark Limited
- Sian Wingate, Powerco Limited
Sponsored by

Simpson Grierson Financial Services In-House Team of the Year
- ANZ
- ASB
- BNZ
- Financial Services Complaints Case Management Team
- IAG NZ
- Kiwibank
- Tower Limited
- Vero
- Westpac
Sponsored by

Russell McVeagh In-House Team of the Year
- AIA
- Auckland Council
- Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited
- Mercury
- Metlifecare
- Paymark Limited
- SKYCITY Entertainment Group
- Spark
- Wellington City Council
Sponsored by

FIRM AWARDS
Employment Law Specialist Law Firm of the Year
- Dundas Street
- Dyhrberg Drayton Employment Law
- Goldstein Ryder Limited
- Hazel Armstrong Law
- McBride Davenport James
- Practica Legal
- SBM Legal
Litigation & Dispute Resolution Specialist Law Firm of the Year
- K3 Legal
- Morris Legal
- Norling Law
- Prestige Law
- Rice Speir
- Wilson Harle
Intellectual Property Specialist Law Firm of the Year
- AJ Park
- Baldwins Intellectual Property
- CreateIP
- Ellis Terry
- Hudson Gavin Martin
- James & Wells
- Zone Law
Property & Construction Specialist Law Firm of the Year
- Alexander Dorrington
- Burton Partners
- Domain Legal
- Thompson Blackie Biddles Limited
Insurance Specialist Law Firm of the Year
- Grant Shand Barristers & Solicitors
- Kennedys
- McElroys
- Rhodes & Co
- Robertsons
- Wotton + Kearney
Boutique Law Firm of the Year
- Blackman Spargo Rural Law Limited
- Claro
- Flacks & Wong
- K3 Legal
- Layburn Hodgins
- Wackrow Williams & Davies Limited
- Webb Henderson
Legal Personnel Employer of Choice (<50 lawyers)
- BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Limited
- Daniel Overton & Goulding
- Glaister Ennor
- Harmos Horton Lusk Limited
- Juno Legal
- Morris Legal
- Turner Hopkins
- Webb Henderson
Sponsored by

Legal Personnel Employer of Choice (51-100 Lawyers)
- Anderson Lloyd
- Anthony Harper
- Hesketh Henry
- James & Wells
- Lane Neave
- Tompkins Wake
- Wynn Williams
Sponsored by

Legal Personnel Employer of Choice (>100 Lawyers)
- Bell Gully
- Buddle Findlay
- Chapman Tripp
- DLA Piper
- Kensington Swan
- MinterEllisonRuddWatts
- Simpson Grierson
Sponsored by

Resolution Institute Mediator of the Year
- Grant Allan
- Denise Evans
- Paul Hutcheson
- Nina Khouri
- Diana Shirtcliffe
- Hayden Wilson
Sponsored by

Artemis Executive Recruitment Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year (35 or under)
- Hannah Andrews, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
- Mike Doesburg, Wynn Williams
- Natasha Garvan, Bell Gully
- Elena Kim, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
- Brent Norling, Norling Law
- Nick Kovacevich, Wynn Williams
- Rebecca Rose, Bell Gully
- Annie Steel, Harmos Horton Lusk
- Michael Thompson, DLA Piper
- Dominic Toomey, Simpson Grierson
- Dan Williams, Anderson Lloyd
Sponsored by

Managing Partner of the Year (<100 lawyers)
- Malcolm Hurley, Anthony Harper
- William Antony Holden, Wotton & Kearney
- Richard Greenaway, Anderson Lloyd
- Mark Lowndes, Lowndes
- Paul McBride, McBride Davenport and James
- Jared Ormsby, Wynn Williams
Managing Partner of the Year (>100 Lawyers)
- Anne Callinan, Simpson Grierson
- Chris Gordon, Bell Gully
- Nick Wells, Chapman Tripp
Deal Team of the Year (<100 lawyers)
- Anderson Lloyd Property Team
- Anthony Harper Corporate Advisory Team
- Flacks & Wong
- Harmos Horton Lusk Limited
- Mayne Wetherell corporate team
- Webb Henderson
- Wynn Williams Corporate Advisory
NZ Lawyer Deal Team of the Year (>100 Lawyers)
- Bell Gully Corporate team
- Bell Gully Projects and Development team
- Chapman Tripp Corporate & Commercial team
- MinterEllisonRuddWatts
- Russell McVeagh
- Simpson Grierson Corporate Advisory
Regional/Suburban Law Firm of the Year
- BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Limited
- Daniel Overton & Goulding
- Nash Jordan Law
- Southern Legal
- Stevens Orchard Lawyers
- Zindels, Barristers & Solicitors
Mid-size Law Firm of the Year
- Anderson Lloyd
- Cavell Leitch
- Harmos Horton Lusk Limited
- Harkness Henry
- Hesketh Henry
- Lane Neave
- Tompkins Wake
- Wynn Williams
Large Law Firm of the Year
- Anthony Harper
- Bell Gully
- Buddle Findlay
- Chapman Tripp
- MinterEllisonRuddWatts
- Simpson Grierson