Three of the promoted lawyers are homegrown stars
Russell McVeagh has promoted Breanna Macara, Nicola Robbins Osborne, James Tocher, Maddy Lister and Callum Dickson to senior associates.
Macara, Robbins Osborne and Dickson are homegrown stars who started their careers with the firm. Macara and Robbins Osborne have stayed with the firm throughout their legal careers, while Dickson departed to glean in-house experience before returning in 2023.
Meanwhile, Tocher and Lister both commenced with Russell McVeagh last year.
Macara works with the corporate advisory team. She commenced with the Wellington office in January 2018 as a graduate.
She has worked on commercial contracting, outsourcing, corporate governance, M&A and general corporate advisory matters. In particular, she focuses on commercial projects where Crown agencies partner with private entities.
Like Macara, Robbins Osborne also started with the firm’s Wellington branch in January 2018. She has advised private and public sector clients on high-value projects and worked on matters related to the technology and infrastructure sectors. In particular, she concentrates on commercial contracting, procurement, and complex transactions.
Dickson is based in Auckland. He has tackled matters involving Commerce Act investigations, merger clearances for domestic and international transactions, market studies and market power. He has also advised clients in highly regulated sectors on sector-specific regulatory requirements, especially in the electricity sector.
He spent three years working in Xero’s in-house legal team and recorded a stint at a tech law boutique.
Tocher has handled commercial and public law disputes in addition to class actions, complex litigation, judicial review, regulatory disputes and human rights concerns. He has appeared before the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court in civil trials.
His previous experience includes being a junior barrister at Thorndon Chambers and a judge’s clerk at the Wellington High Court.
Lister is based in Auckland. She focuses on employment law and health and safety and has advised on all types of disciplinary and performance issues, restructuring situations, status claims, collective bargaining, discrimination claims, employee privacy claims, and health and safety matters.
