Top (L-R): Ben Methven, Georgia Fsadni, Jack Edmond, Jessica Lewis, Kirsty Jacomb and Louis Norton
Bottom (L-R): Madison Hughes, Mitchell Souness, Nathan Whittle, Penny Mander, Vivian Griffiths and Xin Yee Lau

Chief Executive Partner, Pip England, said, “Each person has demonstrated the expertise, dedication and commitment to service we expect, and their promotion is well-deserved recognition of their achievements so far.”

Ben Methven works at the firm’s Wellington office, specialising in banking and finance, with a focus on bilateral and syndicated bank lending, project financing, and restructuring and insolvency. He has a particular interest in financing for decarbonisation initiatives.

Georgia Fsadni works in the firm’s Auckland Tax team. She advises on various aspects of taxation including cross-border transactions, transfer pricing matters, M&A transactions and supports clients in relation to Inland Revenue reviews. Prior to joining Chapman Tripp, Georgia worked at a Big Four accounting firm.

Jack Edmond works in the firm’s Auckland Construction and Major Projects team. Jack works with public and private sector clients across a range of sectors, including infrastructure, health, renewable energy, ports, commercial and residential. He is experienced in advising on complex construction contracts, consultancy agreements, supply contracts and other project documents.

Jessica Lewis works at the firm’s Wellington office, specialising in Tax. She has experience assisting clients with income tax and GST issues across a wide range of industries and transactions, including advising on the tax aspects of corporate transactional and financing matters.

Kirsty Jacomb works in the firm’s Christchurch Resource Management team, specialising in litigation, dispute resolution, and environmental and resource management matters. Kirsty advises clients on a wide range of legal and strategic matters including RMA consenting, designations, district and regional planning, appeals and enforcement. Kirsty has appeared as counsel at Council, Environment Court, District Court and High Court level.

Louis Norton works in the firm’s Auckland Litigation team, specialising in civil litigation and dispute resolution. He has appeared in the High Court and advises clients on a wide range of contentious matters, especially those involving contract, insurance and corporate insolvency issues. Before joining Chapman Tripp, Louis spent a year in transactional practice at a large law firm and then two years as a judges' clerk at the High Court of New Zealand.

Madison Hughes works in the firm’s Auckland Property team, specialising in acquisitions, disposals and commercial and industrial leasing. Madison regularly works with asset and investment managers, large commercial landlords and commercial developers. She also advises lenders on the property aspects of development financing and works with mortgagees on consent requests and mortgagee sales.

Mitchell Souness works at the firm’s Wellington office, specialising in corporate and commercial law, with a particular focus on mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, and corporate governance. He advises clients across a variety of industries on a wide range of corporate matters and transactions, including joint ventures, legal due diligence, employee share schemes, overseas investments, and general corporate governance.

Nathan Whittle works in the firm’s Auckland Litigation team, specialising in civil litigation and dispute resolution, with a particular interest in contract, company, and insolvency disputes. He acts for parties on a wide range of general commercial issues and advises insolvency practitioners, creditors, and debtors on matters arising in insolvency contexts. Nathan is an experienced litigator and frequently appears as counsel in the High Court and has acted on appeals in both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Penny Mander works in the firm’s Wellington Property team. She has considerable experience advising clients on a variety of complex matters, including commercial leasing, construction contracts, infrastructure property portfolio management and procurement.

Vivian Griffiths works in the firm’s Auckland Property team, advising both domestic and international clients on a diverse range of commercial property transactions. Experienced in a range of property matters, Vivian advises clients on acquisitions, disposals, leasing, and overseas investment regulatory requirements.

Xin Yee Lau works in the firm’s Auckland Litigation team specialising in civil litigation and dispute resolution, with interests in contract, tort, property and public disputes. She is experienced in both private and public disputes and has appeared as junior counsel in the High Court. Prior to joining Chapman Tripp, Xin Yee was a Judge’s Clerk at the Court of Appeal of New Zealand.

This promotion will come into effect on 1 December 2023.