In the face of a challenging year, the best in the country’s legal industry were honoured in a virtual ceremony
The top lawyers, firms and in-house legal teams in the New Zealand legal industry were recognised last night at the 2020 New Zealand Law Awards.
Kiwi news and radio personality Ryan Bridge hosted the ceremony, which went virtual for the first time since its inception.
The event was sponsored by leading law firms Russell McVeagh and Simpson Grierson, as well as by the Resolution Institute, Western Union Business Solutions and Artemis Executive Recruitment.
Over the past several months, a panel of expert judges has carefully combed through a batch of quality nominations to determine the best of the best.
Congratulations to the following award winners:
Resolution Institute Mediator of the Year
Winner
Paul Sills, mediator and barrister
Excellence Awardee
Everard Halbert, Sand Steps
Regional/Suburban Law Firm of the Year
Winner
WRMK Lawyers
Excellence Awardees
BlackmanSpargo Rural Law
Southern Legal Lawyers
Boutique Law Firm of the Year
Winner
Gilbert Walker
Excellence Awardees
Flacks & Wong
Hudson Gavin Martin
Morris Legal
Webb Henderson
Mid-size Law Firm of the Year
Winners
Harmos Horton Lusk – Corporate Team
Tompkins Wake
Excellence Awardees
Mayne Wetherell
Large Law Firm of the Year
Winner
Russell McVeagh
Excellence Awardees
Bell Gully
Buddle Findlay
Chapman Tripp
MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Employment Law Specialist Firm of the Year
Winner
Dyhrberg Drayton Employment Law
Excellence Awardees
Dundas Street
Richard Upton
Litigation and Dispute Resolution Specialist Firm of the Year
Winner
Gilbert Walker
Excellence Awardees
Morris Legal
Norling Law
Wilson Harle
Western Union Business Solutions Intellectual Property Specialist Firm of the Year
Winner
AJ Park
Excellence Awardee
James & Wells
Property and Construction Specialist Law Firm of the Year
Winner
Thompson Blackie Biddles
Excellence Awardees
AlexanderDorrington Lawyers
Domain Legal
Insurance Specialist Law Firm of the Year
Winner
Fee Langstone
Excellence Awardees
Gilbert Walker
Shine Lawyers New Zealand
Wotton + Kearney
Artemis Executive Recruitment Employer of Choice (< 50 Lawyers)
Winner
Juno Legal
Excellence Awardees
AJ Park
Layburn Hodgins
Webb Henderson
Artemis Executive Recruitment Employer of Choice (51-100 Lawyers)
Winner
Tompkins Wake
Excellence Awardee
Anthony Harper
Artemis Executive Recruitment Employer of Choice (> 100 Lawyers)
Winner
Russell McVeagh
Excellence Awardees
Bell Gully
Buddle Findlay
Chapman Tripp
Dentons Kensington Swan
MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year (35 or Under)
Winner
Angela Harford, Bell Gully
Excellence Awardees
Emma Manohar, DLA Piper
Igor Drinkovic, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Jordan Cox, Webb Henderson
Natasha Garvan, Bell Gully
Young In-House Lawyer of the Year (35 or Under)
Winner
Leah Taylor, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Excellence Awardees
Emily Acland, Vocus
Jono Willis, Lion
Vivian-Lee Schaaf, Auckland Council
Simpson Grierson Financial Services In-House Team
Winner
BNZ
Excellence Awardees
ANZ Bank New Zealand
Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation
Russell Mcveagh In-House Team of the Year
Winner
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Legal Team
Excellence Awardees
Auckland Council Legal Services Team
Chorus
Fonterra Legal Team
SkyCity Entertainment Group
Spark New Zealand
Vodafone New Zealand
In-House Lawyer of the Year
Winner
Julian Benefield, Foodstuffs North Island
Excellence Awardees
Hayley Michelle Cassidy, BNZ
Jason Nichols, Fonterra
Jo Wong, SkyCity Entertainment Group
Stephanie Manning, Canterbury District Health Board
Deal Team of the Year (< 100 Lawyers)
Winner
Webb Henderson
Excellence Awardees
Flacks & Wong
Harmos Horton Lusk Corporate Team
Mayne Wetherell
NZ Lawyer Deal Team of the Year (More Than 100 Lawyers)
Winner
Bell Gully Corporate Team
Excellence Awardees
Bell Gully Projects and Development Team
Russell McVeagh, Corporate Advisory Team
Equity Market Deal Of The Year
Winner
Napier Port IPO
Excellence Awardees
Infratil institutional placement and AREO
Kathmandu AREO
Debt Market Deal of the Year
Winner
Acquisition financing of Vodafone New Zealand
Excellence Awardees
Kāinga Ora – Housing New Zealand Wellbeing bonds
LGFA syndicated bond offers
Project Finance Deal of the Year
Winner
City Rail Link
Excellence Awardees
Southern Cross Cable
Waipipi Wind Farm
M&A Deal of the Year
Winner
Vodafone New Zealand acquisition
Excellence Awardees
Acquisition by Inner Mongolia Yili Group of Westland Co-operative Dairy Company
Apax takeover of Trade Me
Sale of Hikurangi Forest Farms to New Forests
Insolvency and Restructuring Deal of the Year
Winner
Receivership of Ebert Construction retention fund
Mid-Market Deal of the Year
Winner
Synlait acquisition of Dairyworks
Excellence Awardees
Auckland Council green bonds issuance
Sale of New Zealand Frost Fans
Spark New Zealand - New Zealand cricket rights
New Zealand Deal of The Year
Winner
Vodafone New Zealand Acquisition
Managing Partner of the Year (< 100 Lawyers)
Winner
Jon Calder, Tompkins Wake
Excellence Awardees
Sam Hood, Norris Ward McKinnon
Tim Walden, James & Wells
Managing Partner of the Year (> 100 Lawyers)
Winner
Anna Buchly, Bell Gully
Excellence Awardees
Anne Callinan, Simpson Grierson
Nick Wells, Chapman Tripp
Paul Beverley, Buddle Findlay
Richard Greenaway, Anderson Lloyd
For the first time, the NZ Law Awards winners and finalists will be taking part in moderated panel discussions focusing on the secrets to their success and how they guided their clients through a challenging year. Event attendees and NZ Lawyer readers will gain exclusive access to the panels, which will be released in early 2021.
