New Zealand

Lane Neave is a New Zealand based full-service law firm established in 1868 in Christchurch. The firm now has offices in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown. The firm also has a formal strategic alliance with leading global firm W&H Law Firm, which is a China based law firm provides legal solutions to both Chinese and foreign clients.

Anderson Lloyd is a mid-sized New Zealand law firm with over 150 professionals across offices in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown and is the only South Island firm on the national institutional banking panels for three of the four main trading banks. The firm is best known for its work in domestic project finance and high-end acquisition and real estate finance. Project development, energy, construction and infrastructure are core areas of the firm.

Anthony Harper is an independent New Zealand law firm with 77 lawyers across offices in Auckland and Christchurch. The firm is one of New Zealand’s oldest-standing law firms with a history of more than 150 years. The firm is focused on restructuring and insolvency and handles joint ventures, M&As and restructuring mandates. It also has experience in dealing with different banking and corporate transactions.

Founded in 1840, Auckland-based Bell Gully is among the Big Three and one of New Zealand’s largest firms with over 400 employees including 200 lawyers and a further office in Wellington. The firm is strongest in its banking and finance, debt and equity capital markets, project development and M&A works.

Formed in 1895, Buddle Findlay is an independent New Zealand law firm with 180 lawyers including 46 partners across offices in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch. The full-service firm is strong across the board but excels with its finance practice and restructuring and insolvency team owing to its strong networks in banking and professional services. The firm also actively advises clients in project development and debt and equity capital markets.

Established in 1875, Auckland-based Chapman Tripp is traditionally among the market’s Big Three law firms with over 50 partners and around 260 legal staff across offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The firm is strong across the transactional board including Capital markets, M&A, project development, restructuring and insolvency, banking and finance.

Dentons Kensington Swan

In August 2019, Kensington Swan combined with global firm Dentons in a rare international entry into New Zealand’s legal market, easily becoming the largest international firm in the country. The firm has offices in Auckland and Wellington. The firm’s corporate and finance practice is diversified, and it has a specialised China business group that assists Chinese entrants into the New Zealand market.

With offices in Auckland and Wellington, MinterEllisonRuddWatts is part of the Australia-based MinterEllison Legal Group that has 1700 employees across offices in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Darwin, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Ulaanbaatar. The firm is best known for its restructuring and insolvency team and financing practice but also has expertise in M&A, private equity and project development work. It also actively advises clients in debt and equity capital markets.

Established in 1863, Auckland-based full-service law firm Russell McVeagh is one among the New Zealand legal market’s Big Three with over 250 lawyers and an additional office in Wellington. The firm's finance team is one of the leading experts on financial regulation in New Zealand and transactionally, it specialises in the capital markets, bank lending, structured finance and securitisation and derivatives. The firm is also very active in debt and equity capital markets, project development, M&A and restructuring practices.

Tompkins Wake is a Hamilton-based independent mid-sized law firm with over 65 lawyers and further offices in Auckland, Tauranga, and Rotorua.

Focusses / specialisms  

The firm is best known for corporate and commercial work including corporate financing, construction projects, commercial developments, health and safety and commercial acquisitions, disposals and leasing, and for infrastructure projects, land acquisitions and PPPs in power, social infrastructure, transport and utilities.

Key clients 

Key clients of the firm include SkyCity Entertainment, Global from Day One, Hillfarance Venture Capital, JVC Kenwood, Huawei Technologies, PepsiCo New Zealand, WEL Networks, and Hamilton City Council.

Research period review: 32^nd edition (2022/2023)   

The firm has been active in M&A, projects, and restructuring during the research period.

In the M&A area, the firm kept busy with cross-border acquisitions advising clients from buy and sell sides.

The projects team was active in advising energy, utilities, mining, and social infrastructures and often acted for local government and companies. 

Last year, the firm hired partner Chen Jiang in the restructuring space. For corporate and projects, the firm added two senior associates Luke Bowers from Chapman Tripp and Jill Gregory from Bell Gully.

Deal highlights: 32^nd edition (2022/2023)   

Bermele NZ$59 million acquisition of East Imperial

Hamilton City Council NZ$200 million transport project

TWA Legal is a boutique Auckland-based independent law firm that was established in July 2020 by Jennifer Tunna, Mike Whale and Michael Anderson following the dissolution of corporate and commercial law firm Lowndes. The firm is the only boutique restructuring and insolvency firm in New Zealand but also has experience in banking and finance, funds management, M&A and capital raising. 

Vince & Rice is a boutique independent Auckland-based law firm that was formed by lawyers Kyra Vince and John-Paul Rice in December 2018. The firm is focused on finance and restructuring matters that spans across banking, debt capital markets, acquisition finance, project finance, real estate finance, structured finance and financial services regulation.

Webb Henderson is a boutique independent law firm with offices in Auckland and Sydney comprised of a team of five partners and 13 lawyers. The firm is best known for its corporate and M&A work and the banking and finance practice that is gaining traction. It also has expertise in the energy and telecommunications and media industries.