Russell McVeagh promotes six lawyers to senior associate

Russell McVeagh has elevated six lawyers to senior associate, namely Simon Mackley in banking and finance, Peter Callus and Ruth Egermayer in corporate advisory, Charlotte Fleetwood-Smith and Joanna Trezise in litigation, and Jeremy Whyte in real estate and construction.

Mackley is a home-grown talent at Russell McVeagh, having started his career at the firm in 2016. He specialises in banking and finance law, advising clients on corporate, acquisition and project finance transactions, such as debt capital markets and listing and participant rules, and the regulation of financial service providers in New Zealand.

Callus made his way to the corporate advisory team in the Wellington office in 2021. He provides solution focused commercial and corporate law advice to his clients across multiple sectors, including on M&A transactions, joint ventures, business structuring, and general corporate advisory. He is also a key contributor to Russell McVeagh's energy blog.

Egermayer worked in-house as a commercial lawyer at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment before she moved to the firm’s Wellington office in 2019. She specialises in commercial contracting and procurement, with a particular focus on technology and infrastructure.

Fleetwood-Smith has an extensive background in consumer law, privacy, and intellectual property matters, with experience in the fair trading arena and on regulatory engagements. As part of the Auckland’s litigation team since 2019, she also advises on privacy compliance, complaints and breaches, and complex data use cases.

Trezise was most recently a prosecutor who undertook criminal prosecutions on behalf of regulatory agencies and the Crown. Now, she is an Auckland-based litigator who acts and advises on a broad range of complex commercial disputes. She is also the editor of Russell McVeagh’s quarterly construction disputes publication, Breaking Ground.

Whyte is a commercial estate lawyer who joined Russell McVeagh from a boutique New Zealand firm in 2018. He advises New Zealand's most experienced property investors and developers, with a particular expertise working on commercial and residential land development projects.

"It's fantastic to see these lawyers recognised for their diligence and commitment to the firm and their clients," board chair Allison Arthur-Young said. "I want to thank each of them for the role they play in making Russell McVeagh a fantastic place to work and for living our firm's values of curiosity, excellence, respect and tenacity."