NWM promotes senior associates to partner

Norris Ward McKinnon (NWM) has announced the promotion of senior associates Rob Davies and Tom Corkill to the partnership effective 1st April 2024.

Davies is a team leader at the firm with experience in employment, resource management, and public/local government law. He has led NWM’s employment and commercial disputes practice since October 2022.

He has tackled matters related to workplace investigations, health and safety, alcohol licensing, and privacy and official information. He also has a particular interest in alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation.

Davies has appeared before the High Court, the Environment Court, Employment Relations Authority, district licensing committees and local council committees, and the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority. He is part of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand, the Association of Workplace Investigators, the Resource Management Law Association, and Waikato/Bay of Plenty District Law Society’s employment law committee.

NWM managing partner Sam Hood told NZ Lawyer that Davies got on the firm’s radar while “representing an opposing party at an employment mediation” and said that the decision to promote Davies was popular among both colleagues and clients.

Davies told NZ Lawyer that it was “humbling to join NWM’s formidable partnership – one which has endured for over 100 years.”

“The firm’s proud history also means the opportunity to work on behalf of some fantastic clients on significant matters, making a real difference. And the glue is the team I work alongside; they are incredible lawyers and great people with genuine passion for the work they do,” he said.

Corkill has over a decade of experience in corporate transactions. He has worked on M&A, private capital, and banking and finance matters. Prior to joining NWM, he worked with large law firms in New Zealand and the UK.

NWM partner and corporate and commercial team leader Chris Steenstra told NZ Lawyer, “[Corkill] has proven to be a fantastic addition to the firm – with a great balance of technical knowledge and practical skills/experience. Corkill’s ability to quickly build trust with clients and staff is second to none. He is a keen supporter of the Waikato and is involved in giving back to the community.”

Corkill told NZ Lawyer that he was delighted to “be a further part of the firm’s growth vision.”

“The Waikato Region is clearly in a similar growth phase and being a part of both of those upward trajectories is an opportunity and a challenge. The firm has fantastic foundations that have been set over the past 100 years, and to be a part of an ambitious and youthful partnership with those foundations is hugely exciting,” he said.