Shaw has been with the firm for over 34 years
Senior litigation partner Ben Russell is set to lead Lane Neave as managing partner with the announcement of Andrew Shaw’s retirement.
Shaw formally steps down from Lane Neave’s leadership on 1 July, with Russell taking over from that point. Shaw has been with the firm for over 34 years and has been a partner for 27 years, serving as managing partner for 9 of those years.
He helped launch Lane Neave’s employment law practice, growing it from a Christchurch-based team to a 19-strong national group with partners based in Auckland and Wellington as well. As a specialist in employment, health and safety and ACC law, he has acted for clients in mediations and appeared before the Employment Relations Authority, the Employment Court and Court of Appeal.
Moreover, Shaw has been a mentor to young lawyers at Lane Neave. According to board chair Dr Thérèse Arseneau, his retirement “marks a real sea-change for the firm”.
“Andrew has been a leader at the firm for several decades and managing partner for nine years. He has a wonderful reputation for technical expertise and commercial acumen. He feels the time is right for him, his family, and the firm to move on to the next stage in his career”, Arseneau said.
Shaw will begin practising as an employment law barrister and assume more governance roles following his retirement, Lane Neave confirmed.
Meanwhile, partner Nicola Cuervo will lead the firm’s Christchurch employment team starting 1 July.
“The Lane Neave partners are confident the firm is strongly positioned for the future with the appointments of Ben and Nicola. They will each bring a new and different approach to their roles which is exciting for the firm and the employment law team,” Arseneau said.
