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Russell McVeagh
HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
No. of offices2
No. of lawyers250+
No. of employees400+
Major practice areasCompetition, Corporate, Employment, Finance, Litigation, Property, Resource Management, Public Law and Tax
Key peopleAllison Arthur-Young (Chair), Jo Avenell (CEO)[1]
Date founded1863
FounderJohn Benjamin Russell
Websitewww.russellmcveagh.com

Russell McVeagh is a New Zealand law firm with offices in Auckland and Wellington. It is one of New Zealand's largest law firms and is ranked highly by law firm ranking guides such as The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.[2][3]

History

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John Benjamin Russell (1834–1894) established a one-man practice in Auckland in 1863.[4] Various partners joined him before he was succeeded at the firm by his son Edward Robert Nolan Russell (1869–1939) in 1893.

In 1904 Robert McVeagh became a partner and remained involved in the firm until his death in 1944. In 1969 the firm merged with McKenzie & Bartleet to become Russell McVeagh McKenzie Bartleet & Co, the name it held until 2000, when it became known simply as "Russell McVeagh".

In 1988 the firm established its Wellington office with four founding partners.[5] It is on the panel of lawyers who are instructed by the New Zealand government to undertake legal work.[6]

Historically the firm was considered one of New Zealand's "Big Three" law firms, along with Chapman Tripp and Bell Gully, but in 2014 it was noted that this term was becoming less frequently used, with other law firms approaching them in size and scale.[7]

It was reported on 14 October 2021 that Russell McVeagh intended to require all staff, clients, and visitors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Chief executive Jo Avenell said that many people were concerned about contacting unvaccinated people and that from 1 November 2021 all visitors would have to have received both vaccinations.[8]

2018 criticism and subsequent cultural changes

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In 2018 the firm was criticised in the media for its handling of sexual assault allegations, levelled against two senior male lawyers.[9] It was alleged that those lawyers engaged in non-consensual and consensual sexual acts with female intern students.[10][11] These allegations led all the six university law schools in New Zealand to cut ties with Russell McVeagh.[12]

In 2018, the firm ordered an external investigation into the allegations of sexual assault and harassment. Dame Margaret Bazley was engaged to lead the inquiry into the claims of sexual harassment and assault.[13] Bazley's report was published in July 2018.[14] She found that the firm had a "work hard, play hard" culture that involved excessive drinking and in some cases inappropriate behaviour, but that this culture had changed over the past couple of years. She also found failings in the firm's response to the incidents and made 48 recommendations for improvement, which were accepted by the firm. The president of the New Zealand Law Society, Kathryn Beck, said the report was an "important milestone in shining light into the dark corners of our profession" and that she hoped it would help improve the culture of New Zealand law firms.[15] As of May 2019, the New Zealand law schools were re-evaluating whether they could resume a recruitment relationship with the firm.[16][17]

In February 2020, the firm said it had addressed the "majority" of Bazley's recommendations, including introducing a whistleblower service and a "speak-up" policy, but did not specifically comment on whether it had introduced a 10-year change implementation plan, a sexual harassment and sexual assault policy or a bullying policy. Steph Dyhrberg, convenor of the Wellington Women Lawyers' Association, said she was disappointed by the response.[18]

In December 2020, CEO Jo Avenell said the firm had taken steps to address the issue of junior lawyers working long hours including by ensuring that workloads were better spread around the firm.[19] In February 2021, the firm said it had addressed nearly 95% of Bazley's recommendations, including introducing a whistleblower service and a "speak-up" policy, but some remained as works-in-progress.[20]

Notable alumni

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Supreme Court judge Stephen Kós was a litigation partner at Russell McVeagh from 1988 to 2005 and practised in commercial, equity and environmental litigation. He was appointed as a High Court judge in 2011, as a Court of Appeal judge in 2015, president of the Court of Appeal in 2016, and as a Supreme Court judge in 2022.[21][22]

Court of Appeal judge Sarah Katz was the senior litigation partner at Russell McVeagh before her appointment to the High Court in 2012. She was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2022.[22]

Former Court of Appeal judge Lynton Stevens was a partner at Russell McVeagh from 1980 to 1992. He was appointed as a Queen's Counsel in 1997, as a High Court judge in 2006 and as a Court of Appeal judge in 2010.[23] He retired in 2016 and subsequently led the inquiry into the Havelock North water contamination crisis.[24]

The first legal job of the future politician Winston Peters after graduating in law in 1974 was with Russell McVeagh; he stayed until 1978 before leaving to become a politician.[25][26]

Other notable alumni include:

  • Tom Ashley, Olympic Gold medallist in windsurfing (employed until 2016)[27][28]
  • Rebecca Edwards, High Court judge (employed as a senior solicitor 1998–2003)[29]
  • Sally Fitzgerald, High Court judge (partner 2007–2016)[29]
  • Charlotte Kight, netballer (previously employed)[30]
  • Gerard van Bohemen, High Court judge and diplomat (previously employed as a senior solicitor)[31]
  • Christian Whata, High Court judge (partner 2001–2011)[29]

Community support

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Russell McVeagh supports a range of different charities and organisations through pro bono work. Its work has included supporting community law centres, representing Lecretia Seales and representing organisations like the Breast Cancer Research Trust.[32] In 2021, Russell McVeagh assisted RainbowYOUTH on its merger with OuterSpaces.[33] In 2022, the firm said it had undertaken over $1m of pro bono hours over the last three years.[34]

In 2018, the firm was criticised for claiming on its website that it provided ongoing pro bono work for the charity Women's Refuge when its work had been limited to one-off work for a single refuge two years previously. The charity accepted the firm's explanation that this was in error.[35]

Rankings

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Russell McVeagh has achieved high rankings in law firm ranking guides in various fields, including banking and finance,[36][37] competition and antitrust,[36] corporate and M&A,[38][37]capital markets,[37] dispute resolution,[38] project development,[37] real estate,[38][36] restructuring and insolvency,[38] tax,[36][38] and technology, media and telecommunications (TMT).[38]

References

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  1. ^ So, Jacqueline (24 February 2021). "Russell McVeagh elects new board and partnership chairs". NZ Lawyer. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Russell McVeagh > Auckland > New Zealand | The Legal 500 law firm profiles". The Legal 500. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Russell McVeagh". Chambers and Partners. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  4. ^ Stone, R.C.J. "Russell, John Benjamin". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  5. ^ "History". Russell McVeagh. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  6. ^ Cowlishaw, Shane (27 February 2018). "Government has no plans to ditch law firm". Newsroom. Retrieved 7 December 2020. The law firm is on a panel of lawyers employed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to undertake government work, including sensitive issues such as ACC sexual abuse claims and human rights issues. [... Andrew Little] backed away when questioned about whether the Government, or government departments, should be reviewing their use of Russell McVeagh.
  7. ^ "New Zealand's biggest law firms". The Lawyer Mag. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Russell McVeagh shutting the door to unvaccinated staff, clients and visitors". Stuff. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  9. ^ Hancock, Farah; Reid, Melanie; Borissenko, Sasha (22 February 2018). "Why wasn't the Law Society told?". Newsroom. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Law firm slammed: 'It was like a frat house'". NewsComAu. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Law interns' sexual assault complaints come to light". Radio New Zealand. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Six NZ universities cut ties with law firm Russell McVeagh in wake of sexual harassment claims". The New Zealand Herald. 1 March 2018. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  13. ^ Reid, Melanie; Murphy, Tim; Borissenko, Sasha (12 March 2018). "Bazley to head inquiry into 'sexual harassment'". Newsroom.co.nz. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  14. ^ Bazley, Margaret (March–June 2018). "Independent Review of Russell McVeagh" (PDF). Russell McVeagh. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  15. ^ Hunt, Tom; Macandrew, Ruby (5 July 2018). "Bazley report: A light shines into Russell McVeagh law firm and what it shows isn't good". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  16. ^ McPhee, Elena (3 May 2019). "Russell McVeagh ties to law schools re-evaluated". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  17. ^ MacManus, Joel; Mau, Alison (22 May 2019). "Otago law students not ready to forgive Russell McVeagh". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  18. ^ Hunt, Tom; Mau, Alison (14 February 2020). "Russell McVeagh's #Metoo moment: two years on what has changed?". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  19. ^ Bennett, Bill (4 December 2020). "Dynamic Business: Russell McVeagh CEO Jo Avenell on transforming during a crisis". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Wait goes on, three years after law firm Russell McVeagh's #Metoo moment". Stuff. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  21. ^ "Judges | The Supreme Court". Courts of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Supreme Court judge among three senior appointments". New Zealand Government. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Two new Court of Appeal Judges appointed". New Zealand Government. 3 July 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  24. ^ "Havelock North water inquiry head honoured with CNZM". Hawkes Bay Today. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  25. ^ Hames, Martin Winston First: The unauthorised account of Winston Peters' career p7 (1995, Random House Auckland) ISBN 1 86941 257 5
  26. ^ "Winston Peters". Kōmako. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  27. ^ "Home". Eldon Chambers. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  28. ^ Berry, Josh (10 August 2014). "Where are they now: Tom Ashley". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  29. ^ a b c "Judges | High Court". Courts of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  30. ^ Schroder, Sophie (14 November 2014). "Young lawyer accepted into top global management Masters". The Lawyer Mag. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  31. ^ Tait, Morgan (15 July 2015). "Apology to diplomat after drug raid". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  32. ^ "'If it feels good, we do it': Russell McVeagh's commitment to pro bono work". LawTalk. New Zealand Law Society. 2 June 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  33. ^ "Russell McVeagh advises RainbowYOUTH on merger with OuterSpaces". www.russellmcveagh.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  34. ^ Young, Victoria (7 July 2022). "Big Law's pro bono efforts lack sophistication". businessdesk.co.nz. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  35. ^ Hunt, Tom; Macandrew, Ruby (28 February 2018). "Russell McVeagh backtracks on claim of doing ongoing free work for Women's Refuge". Stuff. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  36. ^ a b c d "Russell McVeagh, Asia-Pacific | Chambers Profiles". chambers.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  37. ^ a b c d "Russell McVeagh | IFLR1000". www.iflr1000.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  38. ^ a b c d e f "Russell McVeagh > Wellington > New Zealand | The Legal 500 law firm profiles". www.legal500.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
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