Meredith Connell Welcomes Reconfirmation as Office of the Auckland Crown Solicitor

Meredith Connell has welcomed today’s announcement by the Attorney-General, Hon. Christopher Finlayson QC, that Brian Dickey will be the sixth Auckland Crown Solicitor, reconfirming the firm as Office of the Crown Solicitor for Auckland, a role it has held for 93 years.

Mr Dickey, best known for leading the prosecutions of Bridgecorp and other finance companies and for prosecuting nearly a dozen murder trials and more than 200 other jury trials, said the decision was a credit to everyone at Meredith Connell.

“Over 80% of Meredith Connell’s work today is in civil litigation and dispute resolution; corporate and commercial, regulatory, public and resource management law; and property law, and those parts of the business are growing fastest,” Mr Dickey said.

“At the same time, criminal prosecution continues to represent nearly 20% of Meredith Connell’s work and is central to our values as the country's leading litigation firm, including our unquestioned reputation for integrity and commitment to public interest work. Those values underpin all our work, including the 80% that is not directly related to the warrant.

“Holding the Crown Warrant also ensures Meredith Connell is the first choice for New Zealand's brightest and most talented law graduates, especially those who want a career in litigation or public interest work, and I look forward to their talents becoming available to Meredith Connell’s full suite of clients in the future.”

Mr Dickey thanked the Attorney-General for the confidence he had expressed in him and the entire Meredith Connell team and said he looked forward to working in partnership with the Crown Law Office in the future.

He said it would be business as usual for criminal prosecution in Auckland. Talks would begin next week with Natalie Walker to discuss how to hand over work under the new Manukau warrant.

“We congratulate Ms Walker and her colleagues on their appointment at Manukau and look forward to working with them representing the Crown and the victims of crime in the wider Auckland region,” he said.

Meredith Connell is already one of New Zealand’s largest full-service law firms, with 26 partners, 118 lawyers and 67 support staff, and retains offices in Auckland and Wellington. It was ranked number one in New Zealand for litigation through the New Zealand Government’s All of Government tender process that established the legal services procurement panel.

ENDS

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