Seven of the firm’s lawyers were inducted into the guide’s Hall of Fame
Bell Gully has logged the most Tier 1 rankings among NZ firms in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific guide for 2021.
“For 18 of the past 20 years, Bell Gully has been awarded the most New Zealand 'leading individual' rankings,” the firm said. “The firm has also stood at the top of the table for practice area rankings for 17 of the last 20 years.”
Notably, the TMT team headed by partner Dean Oppenhuis ascended from a previous Tier 2 ranking to Tier 1 this year.
“Bell Gully climbs the ranking having played a key role in large M&A transactions that involved intricate technology agreements. Among these was its work for Vodafone Group plc on the sale of Vodafone NZ to an investment consortium, which included the three crucial inter-company technology agreements,” the Legal 500 Asia Pacific said on its website. “The firm is also active in public sector technology procurement, as well as assisting early-stage companies in areas such as blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity with capital raising.”
The guide also welcomed the following seven Bell Gully lawyers into its Hall of Fame:
- David McPherson – banking/finance
- Murray King – banking/finance
- Andrew Beatson – projects/resource management
- Simon Watt – projects/resource management
- Hugh Kettle – projects/resource management
- Andrew Petersen – real estate/construction
- Willy Sussman – tax
The honour reflects these lawyers’ “outstanding contributions over a long period,” the firm said.
Moreover, the Legal 500 Asia Pacific singled out 11 of the firm’s young stars as “next generation partners” – the highest number among NZ firms. These lawyers hailed from a variety of practice areas:
- Glenn Shewan – competition
- Jennifer Coote – corporate
- Tim Fitzgerald – dispute resolution
- Jesse Wilson – dispute resolution
- Liz Coats – employment
- Natasha Garvan – projects/resource management
- Ian Becke – real estate/construction
- Toni Forrest – real estate/construction
- Campbell Pentney – tax
- Hayden Roberts – tax
- Sooyun Lee – IP
Bell Gully also led NZ firms in Chambers Asia Pacific rankings, with 38 partners and associates being recognised in the guide. With the elevation of the firm’s IP practice from a Band 3 ranking to Band 2, all of its practice groups are officially ranked in the top two tiers.
“This recognition reflects Bell Gully's depth and strength of talent across all the key practice areas in which we work,” managing partner Haydn Wong said. “It's fantastic to see the number of new rankings, as we have continued to grow and develop our people, as part of supporting our clients through what was a challenging period.”
