The firm welcomed six senior associates across various groups
Russell McVeagh has bolstered its team by adding six new senior associates – including three making their return to the firm where they started their careers.
Grace Liang (corporate advisory), Sam Kember (corporate advsiory) and Ed Kinloch (real estate and construction) are the returning stars; Liang and Kember come home to New Zealand after stints overseas alongside Kate Maclean (banking and finance) and Marie Kavanagh (litigation). David Simpson (real estate and construction) rounds out the group.
Maclean is based in Auckland and is a specialist in structured finance, particularly securitisations. She spent several years with Fieldfisher LLP’s structured finance team in London, working on structured transactions and financial services regulation.
Liang has advised on acquisitions and disposals, joint venture and shareholder arrangements, other direct and indirect investment structures, and general corporate and securities law issues. She logged nearly four years at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in London, focusing on corporate real estate and investment funds.
Kember has experience handling public and private M&A, equity capital markets, and general corporate advisory work. He returned to the firm last year following a four-year tenure at Linklaters LLP in London, which included a secondment at AXA Group in Paris.
Based in Wellington, Kavanagh has handled contentious financial regulatory matters, including investigations and proceedings initiated by the Commerce Commission and Financial Markets Authority. She practised with US law firms in London, advising on regulatory breaches and cases involving criminal allegations of complex fraud, bribery and corruption, money laundering and other types of misconduct.
Kinloch specialises in commercial property issues, focusing on overseas investment, commercial and industrial development projects, rural land, primary sector industries, and renewable energy. He has also worked on acquisitions and disposals, sale and leaseback transactions, development agreements, commercial and industrial leases, rural leases, and forestry rights.
Simpson is based in Auckland. He focuses on complex property developments and large-scale transactions, having played a role in the PwC Tower at Commercial Bay, the Te Waihorotiu (Aotea) Station over-station development in downtown Auckland, and the sale of the Westgate Lifestyle retail centre.
