Among the nine new appointments are two partners
Wynn Williams has won over three senior lawyers and promoted six among its ranks, in a boost to the firm’s national presence.
Andrew Watkins and Rebecca Saunders have grown the Wynn Williams partnership to 22. The remaining seven new appointments boost the firm’s senior-associate pool. Wynn Williams also brought in senior associates Greg Simms and Kimberly Wong in Auckland.
Promoted from associates to senior associates are dispute-resolution experts Richard Hargreaves, Tiana Ritchie, and Nicholas Lawrence, as well as resource-management specialists Kirstie Wyss and Kate Woods.
Watkins joined the firm as a special counsel in December from Duncan Cotterill, where he practiced for 28 years. The recently added member of the firm’s national dispute resolution team in Christchurch specialises in complex relationship property estate matters and has a special interest in trust law.
Saunders, who is also a part of the dispute resolution team, made the move from Fletcher Building, where she was interim senior legal counsel. Prior to that, she was a partner at Lane Neave. Based in Auckland, she is known for her expertise in construction law, particularly for resolving construction-related disputes. She has extensive national and international experience in construction adjudication, arbitration, court litigation, and mediation.
Andrew Watkins and Rebecca Saunders
Simms, who joined the firm after five years at a Magic Circle firm in London, specialises in complex commercial litigation matters, arbitration proceedings and regulatory investigations.
Wong moved from Herbert Smith Freehills, where she was senior associate for New Zealand. A part of the corporate and commercial team, the internationally experienced lawyer has a particular focus on M&A, private equity, and venture capital investment.
