Including the addition of new special counsel
Aotearoa's largest litigation firm, Meredith Connell (MC), has welcomed the promotion of five new partners and one special counsel, effective July 1, 2024.
This latest round of promotions brings the total number of partners to 33 across its Auckland and Wellington offices.
“Our latest promotions represent our investment in ambitious growth and our development of a pipeline of diverse lawyers. 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,” MC chairman of the management board Mark Harborow said.
“We are incredibly proud of the breadth of talent and depth of expertise at MC. Providing opportunities for our people to develop their skills and progress their career is a very important part of MC’s culture.”
MC’s five new partners are Jack Cheng, David Collins, Danielle Houghton, Andy Luck, and Elizabeth Rutherford, while Danielle Christoffersen is named the new special counsel.
An immigration expert, Cheng has successfully assisted numerous clients with complex immigration issues, including those involving significant financial, character, health, or humanitarian concerns. He is a member of The Law Association Immigration & Refugee Law Committee and frequently shares his knowledge at immigration seminars and conferences across New Zealand.
Collins will lead MC’s local government practice, drawing on his 17 years of experience in local government and regulatory work in New Zealand and the UK. He specializes in regulatory enforcement litigation, public law, and advisory work on local government legislation. David is known for his efficient and pragmatic advice to local government clients nationwide.
Houghton is an experienced litigator in both criminal and civil jurisdictions. She is particularly expert in regulatory matters, including complex Fair Trading Act and Competition cases. She frequently conducts jury trials under the Crown warrant and appears for the Crown in the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Luck is a commercial and regulatory litigator with expertise in financial markets, credit finance, and consumer law. He advises government and private sector clients on some of New Zealand’s largest and most complex commercial disputes and is recognized as an effective courtroom advocate.
Rutherford is known for her commercial, competition, and public law work, offering innovative and pragmatic solutions to private and government clients. She manages large-scale cases and has acted on some of New Zealand’s most complex disputes while continuing to lead criminal prosecutions for the Crown and government agencies.
Christoffersen specializes in asset structuring and various property matters, including relationship property, property sharing arrangements, trusts, commercial property acquisitions and sales, private sector developments, and conveyancing. Her experience in New Zealand and Australia is highly regarded by clients in both the public and private sectors.
In addition to the new partners and special counsel, MC has also promoted 16 senior associates and associates.
