Company: CooperAitken
Job title: Trust and companies manager & in-house lawyer
Megan Potter joined the in-house legal profession in 2016 after starting her career in private practice. She is the in-house lawyer, trust and companies division manager and AML/CFT compliance officer at CooperAitken based in the Waikato with over 100 staff. Potter, and her team of four, is responsible for managing all administration and special work for approximately 500 trusts as well as 1,200 companies. Potter also manages the firm’s special project work regarding estate and succession planning with clients, namely in the rural sector. Her division is one of the firm’s 'value-add' services which provides an all-encompassing experience for clients. Since working with CooperAitken, Potter has further developed the trust division's annual trust administration service, which was in its infancy when she came on board. Within the practice, her division completes its own invoicing and budget management, and Potter has grown the fee base significantly over the past few years. Following her appointment as AML/CFT compliance officer in October 2019, she implemented processes for AML CDD to monitor all aspects of the firm’s AML Risk Assessment and Compliance Programme. In 2017 and 2018, Potter was a finalist in the Young In-House Lawyer of the Year category at the NZ Law Awards.
