Russell McVeagh has been ranked as a top tier firm across its practice areas in IFLR1000's 2021 Asia-Pacific guide, which recognises leading financial and corporate law firms and lawyers, with four partners – Cath Shirley-Brown, Daniel Minhinnick, David Raudkivi and David Weavers – newly ranked in the guide, bringing the firm's total number of partners recognised to 11.
Russell McVeagh received top rankings across Banking and Finance, Capital Markets: Debt, Capital Markets: Equity, M&A, and Project Development, and was also recognised for Capital Markets: Structure Finance and Securitisation for the first time.
Corporate partner
David Raudkivi is recognised as a Highly Regarded M&A and Capital Markets: Equity lawyer after advising on a number of market-leading deals, including the NZ$2.56 billion sale of Trade Me to Apax Partners and the share sale of Hikurangi Forest Farms to New Forests, the largest forestry transaction of 2019.
Fellow Corporate partner
Cath Shirley-Brown, who joined the firm's Wellington office in May, is described as a 'Notable Practitioner' for M&A and Real Estate Acquisitions.
Russell McVeagh's National Practice Group Chair for Environment, Planning and Natural Resources (EPNR),
Daniel Minhinnick, is recognised as a 'Rising Star' in Project Development, having played a crucial role advising on some of New Zealand's largest infrastructure projects, including the Queens Wharf Cruise Upgrade and the development of major greenfield development, the Drury South Precinct.
Banking and Finance partner
David Weavers also receives a Rising Star ranking, having recently worked on a number of significant Banking and Finance transactions, including advising Fonterra on the financing aspects of the $633 million sale of its 50% interest in DFE Pharma to CVC, a leading European private equity fund. David is recognised as a finalist for 'Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year' ahead of the upcoming 2020 New Zealand Law Awards taking place this week.
Recognised in the guide again this year in their respective areas are:
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Allison Arthur-Young (Project Development)
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Deemple Budhia (Capital Markets: Debt, and Capital Markets: Structured Finance and Securitisation)
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David Hoare (Private Equity and M&A)
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Matthew Kersey (Restructuring and Insolvency)
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Mei Fern Johnson (M&A)
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Ben Paterson (Private Equity and M&A)
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John Powell (Banking)
IFLR1000 received feedback on Russell McVeagh's lawyers from their market research which included:
“Excellent diligence and attention to detail. High quality and well considered advice.”
“Responsive - regularly goes above and beyond. Sound, practical advice, commercial understanding.”
“Great at supplementing the knowledge and talent of the internal team and working as one team together; advice is pragmatic and commercial, and easily digested and passed onto the business."
“A positive ‘can do’ attitude mixed with strong commercial knowledge and good interpersonal skills."
“Russell McVeagh were subject matter experts, very thorough and detailed. They also worked extremely collaboratively and efficiently under what was a very tight timeframe.”
“Firm has a high level of depth and capability in both M&A and in the finance area, particularly financial regulation. Their in depth knowledge of our business, together with high levels of expertise and capability result in them providing advice of an extremely high quality but that is also pragmatic and practical and easily communicated to our business.”
IFLR1000's New Zealand guide is available to view
here.