Hannah Bain Hannah Bain
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Hannah Bain
She / Her
Special Counsel
Wellington
Climate Change & Litigation
+64 4 819 7865 DDI [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-bain-5a181557/
Profile Experience Insights
Profile

Hannah Bain is a Special Counsel in Russell McVeagh's litigation and public law team and is the firm's Head of Climate Change. In her role as Head of Climate Change, Hannah advises clients on a wide spectrum of issues relating to the transition to a low-emissions, climate-resilient future, including mandatory climate-related disclosures, greenwashing risk, the emissions trading scheme and climate-related litigation. In addition, Hannah has over 10 years' experience as a commercial litigator, with particular experience in complex commercial disputes in the infrastructure, energy, banking and financial services sectors, and with regulatory investigations.

Hannah was named in NZ Lawyer's 2024 Rising Stars list. She is also a co-author of the Climate Change chapter in Environmental and Resource Management Law (looseleaf ed). 

Related Expertise

Litigation
Climate Change
Investigations
Financial Regulation
Experience

Hannah's recent experience includes:

  • Advising climate-reporting entities in relation to the mandatory climate-related disclosures regime, including in relation to the application of the regime under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 ("FMCA"), director obligations and potential liability, appropriate due diligence processes and climate-related governance.
  • Advising clients in relation to matters arising under the emissions trading scheme and voluntary carbon market, including in relation to regulatory reform, synthetic greenhouse gases, and structures for the holding and trading of New Zealand Units.
  • Advising a public sector entity on matters relating to climate change and international law.
  • Providing director education and other training to boards and other client groups on climate change issues, including the climate-related disclosures regime and climate litigation.
  • Acting for New Zealand's statutory disaster insurer in proceedings (resolved and ongoing) with customers and other parties.
  • Acting for two major listed entities in relation to significant returns of capital to shareholders by way of court-approved scheme of arrangement.
  • Advising RBS in connection with its landmark shareholder rights issue litigation, following the near collapse and government bailout of the bank in October 2008.
  •  Advising a party in connection with disputes arising out of pricing and earnout clauses in a sale and purchase agreement.
  • Advising a major UK bank in connection with a series of investigations arising out of a high profile fraud.
  • Advising a UK retail bank in relation to a c£140m claim for breach of contract and misrepresentation in connection with lending facilities and interest rate hedging products.
  • Assisting a UK financial institution in connection with a regulatory investigation relating to governance issues.
  • Acting for an energy sector participant in a high-value contentious contractual dispute regarding pricing in a supply agreement.
  • Contributing to the development of the climate change contractual clause bank led by New Zealand Green Investment Finance.
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