Finalist nods for Russell McVeagh's Dealmakers

Finalist nods for Russell McVeagh's Dealmakers

Russell McVeagh has been recognised as finalists across the entire spectrum of categories for the 2017 New Zealand Law Awards.

Announced today, the firm has received eleven finalist nods across all deal categories, and been shortlisted for Large Law Firm of the Year, Deal Team of the Year for the firm's Corporate Advisory team lead by Dan Jones, and Employer of Choice categories. Russell McVeagh Senior Associate Lucy Becke is also up for Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year.

Nominated in the M&A category is the firm's work on the acquisition of Nuplex Industries by Allnex New Zealand – the first acquisition of a New Zealand listed company via scheme of arrangement under the new regime for schemes, which came into force in 2014. Advising Advent International and Allnex NZ, partners Joe Windmeyer, Ian Beaumont, John-Paul Rice and Polly Pope led this transaction which was the largest takeover in the New Zealand market since 2006. ACC's and New Zealand Super Fund's acquisition of stake in Kiwibank Group, for which Dan Jones led Russell McVeagh's work for Kiwibank, has also been nominated in this category.

Trustpower's demerger into two separate NZX and ASX listed companies is a finalist for Capital Markets Deal of the Year, and was the first major demerger in New Zealand given effect by way of a scheme of arrangement since the demerger of Telecom and Chorus in 2011. Led by Joe Windmeyer, the firm advised Trustpower and two successor companies on this historical milestone for both major energy corporate Trustpower and renewable generation in Australasia. Russell McVeagh's roles in Synlait Milk's capital raising and dual listing and New Zealand King Salmon's IPO and dual listing, are additionally nominated in this category.

For Consumer, Media and Tech Deal of the Year, NBCUniversal (NBCU)'s joint venture with MediaWorks for the Bravo channel launch led by partners Ian Beaumont, Pip Greenwood, Craig Shrive, Sarah Keene, Shaun Connolly is shortlisted. Acting for NBCU, the transaction was its first free-to-air partnership globally, and first free-to-air channel launched outside of the US. Russell McVeagh's work on the Government's Emergency Caller Location Technologyis also a contender in this category and Technology Partner Mei Fern Johnson's third year in a row as a category finalist.

Leading the partial takeover offer by Zhejiang Rifa Holding Group Co. to acquire 75% of the ordinary shares in Airworks, Partner David Raudkivi and Senior Associate Joanna Khoo advised on one of the few takeovers undertaken publicly by a bidder out of China and the first public transaction in New Zealandto be subject to a State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the People’s Republic of China condition. The transaction is up for International Deal of the Year, together with the Puhoi to Warkworth PPP, for which Russell McVeagh advised.

The firm is also shortlisted for two deals in the Mid-Market Deal of the Year category, the takeover of Radius by way of scheme arrangement led by partners David Raudkivi and Malcolm Crotty, and Patties Foods acquisition of Leader Foods, led by Joe Windmeyer.

The firm would like to extend congratulations to all finalists in the In-House Lawyer and In-House Team categories and wish them well for the upcoming Awards ceremony to be held at The Langham, Auckland on Thursday 23 November. Bringing together industry leaders to celebrate excellence in the legal profession, the event recognises the outstanding achievements of firms and in-house teams across New Zealand.

ENDS

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