Strengthening Our Auckland Presence

After two years embedding ourselves in the city’s legal and business landscape, we are entering a new chapter - strengthening our specialist offering and deepening our long-term commitment to Auckland.

New Partners Strengthening Our Expertise

We are proud to welcome Grae Switzer and Anthony Drake as Partners in our Auckland office.

• Grae is a corporate commercial lawyer with more than two decades of experience in Australia and New Zealand. He advises on  New Zealand aspects of cross-border mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, capital raising, and corporate restructurings - supporting clients from multinationals and iconic Kiwi brands through to start-ups.
• Anthony is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished employment law practitioners. He specialises in employment and industrial law and health and safety and brings more than 20 years’ experience to the firm. Anthony advises major domestic corporates, the New Zealand Government, and various government agencies, including local government. He also regularly advises multinational companies in relation to matters relating to the interpretation of New Zealand employment law and processes. He is a sought-after commentator on employment law issues.

Together, they bring specialist expertise that expands our capability across corporate commercial and employment law.

A New Director Consultant

We are also delighted to announce that Hon Simon Moore KC has joined as Director Consultant, contributing directly to client and litigation practice development initiatives. Earlier this year, Simon was also appointed to our Board, together with Paul Duncan, former Head of ASB Commercial for New Zealand. As many will be aware, Simon retired as a Judge of the High Court of New Zealand following many years of dedicated service, during which he made an extraordinary contribution to both the law and the people it serves.

These appointments mark an important step in our Auckland story and signal our commitment to building a practice that delivers genuine value to clients and strengthens our presence in New Zealand’s largest commercial hub. This strategy reflects our commitment to being a long-term presence in Auckland’s legal and commercial community.

In line with this growth, we will soon be relocating to new premises in Britomart in late October. We look forward to welcoming clients and colleagues into our new Auckland premises in due course.

Mark Tavendale | Managing Partner
1 September 2025