Russell McVeagh is praised for its ‘exceptional’ ability to ’take complex legal issues and distil down clear and concise advice to be able to guide strategy’. The team is regularly involved in significant high-profile disputes, including large-scale class actions and contentious matters, across a wide range of sectors. The practice is steered by Kirsten Massey, who is a highly experienced commercial litigation and dispute resolution specialist, with particular expertise in class actions, financial services litigation and professional negligence disputes. Key contact Malcolm Crotty is a trusted adviser for critical and strategic litigation matters, while the ‘impressive’ Marika Eastwick-Field is noted for her contentious and advisory expertise in M&A, banking and financial services, capital markets, property, and leasing disputes. Nathaniel Walker has a proven track record in all levels of the New Zealand court system and routinely receives instructions at the top of the market.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘More than anything else, Russell McVeagh's capability and client service sets them apart. There's no doubt that, for our most complex and high-value disputes, there's no firm we'd want advising us more than Russell McVeagh.'
'The team's ability to take complex legal issues and distil down clear and concise advice to be able to guide strategy (in a way that makes sense to all internal stakeholders) is exceptional.'
‘Russell McVeagh's disputes team are top of their field from an expertise perspective, but their real value is in the understanding of our goals, and the wider industry in which we operate.'
'They really take the time to understand our business and drivers behind any dispute, and are always conscious of all the implications across the business of any dispute or potential disputes.’
‘Marika Eastwick-Field is impressive. While she is obviously experienced and knowledgable, she is also a pleasure to work with, is very engaged, timely and communicative regarding costs incurred.'
'Marika Eastwick-Field understands our business and in particular understands and works within the framework of our position on each matter.'
'The team are extremely commercial and pragmatic, and anticipate client needs very well.'

Key clients

Omni Bridgeway
ASB Bank Limited
Winton Property Investment Limited
Woolworths Group
AIA International
KPMG
Calibre Partners
Toka Tū Ake EQC
Westpac Banking Corporation
Tiger Brokers (NZ) Limited
Bank of New Zealand

Work highlights

Acting for the Crown entity that provides natural disaster insurance to New Zealand residential homeowners in four separate class actions arising out of its role in providing natural disaster insurance following the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence in 2010–2011, one of New Zealand's (and the world's) largest ever natural disaster events.
Assisting Omni Bridgeway with a high-profile class action on behalf of building owners against manufacturers and distributors of combustible cladding.
Representing AIA, New Zealand's largest life insurer, in proceedings brought by the Financial Markets Authority for alleged breaches of the "fair dealing" provisions in the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.