11 September 2008
Simpson Grierson continues its market-leading
rankings on Australasian M table
Simpson Grierson is the only New Zealand law firm to feature on the just released Thomson Reuters legal advisory table
for work in M transactions, cementing its position as the leading New Zealand commercial deal maker of 2008.
The firm's seventh placing for the first eight months of this year, on transactions valued at just under US$18 billion,
is the result of a number of significant deals. Simpson Grierson acted for the Australian owned Toll NZ on the sale of
the New Zealand national rail business back to the Crown, a highly publicised transaction valued at over NZ$700million.
Acting for BG Group Plc, on the New Zealand aspects of its bid for Origin Energy (Australia), Simpson Grierson provided
ground-breaking advice on Takeover Code issues and exemption applications relating to Contact Energy (the second largest
listed company in New Zealand – by market capitalisation), of which Origin Energy owns 51%.
"Our place on the table is continued confirmation of the firm's strong client base, international networks and global
reputation," says Kevin Jaffe, Head of Corporate/Commercial at Simpson Grierson. "It reinforces the bench strength of
ourpartners and the depth and breadth of our teams' expertise." Simpson Grierson continues its strong year with its
appointment as legal advisors on the recently announced Matariki Forests sale.
ENDS