Thursday 27 January –
New senior associates and special counsel for Minter Ellison Rudd Watts
Trans-Tasman law firm, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, has announced two new senior associates. It has also promoted 6 of
the firm’s senior associates to the role of special counsel in their specialised practice areas. Senior Associates Aaron
Lloyd joins the dispute resolution division, as does Oliver Meech who returns to the firm’s competition and regulatory
team. Both Aaron and Oliver will work out of the firm’s Auckland office.
Aaron Lloyd rejoins the firm after a three-year period working as a barrister with Paul Davison QC, where he worked on
several high profile cases. His area of expertise is in commercial litigation, with experience in the areas of aviation
law, information technology, public law, sports law, corporate governance and white-collar crime. Aaron is also an
adjunct lecturer in law at the
University of Auckland, where he teaches Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Oliver Meech returns to the
competition and regulatory team at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts after completing his Masters at Cambridge University,
followed by over 3 years at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London. He was a senior associate in the European Union
law group of the dispute resolution department. Oliver’s experience includes competition law litigation and commercial
litigation for both national and international corporate clients, with particular expertise in the telecommunications
sector.
Special Counsel
The firm has promoted senior associates Wendy Blennerhassett, Wendy Cook, Anthony Hosking, Alistair McDonald, Jacintha
Tan and Melanie Tollemache to the role of Special Counsel. All appointments bar one relate to the Auckland office -
Alistair McDonald is based in the firm’s Wellington office.
The promotions have been made in recognition of the extensive experience each holds in their specialised areas of
practice. Wendy Blennerhassett operates in the area of commercial litigation, while Melanie Tollemache is a well-known
competition and regulatory law expert. Wendy Cook is a member of the corporate division, while Anthony Hosking
specialises in Intellectual Property. Both Jacintha Tan and Alistair McDonald practice commercial property law.
ENDS