Meredith Connell Announces Five New Partners

Meredith Connell (MC) has announced the promotion of five new Partners and one new Special Counsel – another strong promotion round for Aotearoa’s largest litigation firm.

These appointments build on a sustained period of investment in strategic growth and talent development and brings MC’s partnership to 33 across it’s Auckland and Wellington offices.

The new Partners and Special Counsel join 16 newly promoted Senior Associates and Associates.

“Our latest promotions represent our investment in ambitious growth and our development of a pipeline of diverse lawyers,” said Mark Harborow, Chair of MC’s Management Board. ‘We congratulate them all on this significant milestone which they’ve achieved through their expertise, hard work and an unwavering commitment to our people, our clients, and the communities we serve.”

“We are incredibly proud of the breadth of talent and depth of expertise at MC,” Mark Harborow said, “providing opportunities for our people to develop their skills and progress their career is a very important part of MC’s culture.”

MC has been the Office of the Crown Solicitor for Auckland for more than 100 years and is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest and most established law firms with more than 160 lawyers across the full range of practice areas.

Partners*

Jack Cheng

Jack is a renowned immigration expert who has successfully assisted hundreds of immigration clients, including on complicated matters involving significant financial, character, health or humanitarian issues. A member of The Law Association Immigration & Refugee Law Committee, he regularly shares his expertise at immigration seminars and conferences across Aotearoa New Zealand.

David Collins

David will lead MC’s local government practice, utilising his 17 years’ experience across a wide range of local government and regulatory work in Aotearoa and the UK. He is an expert in regulatory enforcement litigation, public law and advisory work across the full suite of local government legislation. David is known for his efficient and pragmatic advice by MC’s local government clients throughout the country.

Danielle Houghton

Danielle is an experienced litigator in the criminal and civil jurisdictions. Deeply trusted and respected by clients for her skill and advice, she has particular expertise in regulatory matters including complex Fair Trading Act and Competition cases. Danielle frequently conducts jury trials under the Crown warrant and appears for the Crown in the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Andy Luck

Andy is a seasoned and skilled commercial and regulatory litigator with particular expertise in financial markets law, credit finance and consumer law. He advises both government and private sector clients involved in some of Aotearoa’s largest and most complex commercial disputes. Astute and experienced, Andy is an effective courtroom advocate for his clients.

Elizabeth Rutherford

An expert in commercial, competition and public law, Elizabeth has built a reputation for navigating complicated issues to deliver innovative and pragmatic solutions to both private-sector and government clients. Elizabeth manages large-scale cases and acted on some of Aotearoa’s most complex disputes while continuing to lead criminal prosecutions for both the Crown and government agencies.

Danielle Christoffersen - Special Counsel

Danielle is a specialist in asset structuring and a wide range of property matters, including relationship property, property sharing arrangements, trusts, commercial property acquisitions and sales, private sector developments and conveyancing through to the sale of property under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 and the Insolvency Act 2006. Her advice and experience working in both Aotearoa and Australia is highly regarded by her clients across both the public and private sector.

The promotions take effect on 1 July 2024. *All new partners are subject to meeting all NZ Law Society requirements.

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