Dentons Kensington Swan is delighted to announce the promotion of seven new Senior Associates, as the firm continues to grow in New Zealand. These individuals have played key roles in the continued growth and success of the firm, collectively contributing their technical expertise, strong leadership skills, and providing the highest standard of client service.
Dentons Kensington Swan CEO Charles Spillane says, “I am particularly proud of this group of exceptional young lawyers who have continued to meet and exceed our client’s expectations while having to spend a large portion of that time working remotely. It’s a testament to their ability to handle challenges and the firm’s solid pipeline of talented lawyers.”
Charlotte Evans is a member of the Auckland Employment and Labour team. She advises clients on both contentious and non-contentious employment and health and safety issues, and has experience advising clients on accepted enforceable undertakings. Charlotte has been involved in complex litigation, including a landmark claim to the Employment Court regarding a contractual mistake issue.
Saiya Guo’s broad range of experience and expertise includes mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and commercial contracting as part of the Corporate and Commercial team. Saiya also has particular experience in advising on public private partnerships (PPPs) and the commercial aspects of major infrastructure projects. Saiya has worked with domestic and international clients across various industries, including the retail, banking, construction, manufacturing, healthcare and media industries.
Nicole Thompson, part of the dispute resolution team, has worked on a wide range of commercial disputes, including contract, property, construction and banking disputes. She also has experience with insolvency matters. Nicole has appeared in the District Court and High Court in New Zealand as both junior and sole counsel. Prior to joining Dentons Kensington Swan, Nicole worked at another national law firm in New Zealand, and as in-house legal counsel for a bank in the United Kingdom.
Gunes Haksever is a commercial media and technology lawyer currently admitted to the Istanbul Bar Association in Turkey. Having worked with organisations across the Middle East, Turkey and in New Zealand; Gunes has advised his clients in multi-jurisdictional issues. He has been involved in global privacy compliance projects where he has coordinated advice from lawyers from across the Middle East and Africa region, in order to ensure that the rollout was performed in each country. Gunes has a deep curiosity on cutting-edge technology and its inner workings, and has been recognised by his clients for his technical understanding.
Joy Wang is part of the Corporate and Commercial team. She has experience in advising clients on a range of corporate and commercial law matters, including mergers and acquisitions, overseas investments, general corporate and commercial law as well as commercial contracts. Joy regularly advises offshore clients on their acquisition or divestment of sensitive assets in New Zealand. She is experienced in navigating the intricacies of the Overseas Investment Act and the process of applying for consent to invest in New Zealand.
Samira Boock is a member of New Zealand’s Private Wealth team. She advises on a variety of private wealth matters including all aspects of New Zealand trust-related taxation, pre-migration tax planning, the administration and governance of domestic and offshore trusts and family office design and execution. Samira has significant experience in New Zealand relationship property law matters including complex cross-border considerations. As a trusted advisor to many families and individuals, Samira is great at reassuring clients by offering level-headed advice where there are complex legal and relationship issues.
Stacey Fletcher is also a member of the Auckland Employment and Labour team. She advises clients on a wide range of employment matters including the drafting of employment agreements and company policies, personal grievances, company reorganisations, bullying and harassment issues, management of performance, investigations, disciplinary matters and terminations. Stacey also provides assistance with employment related disputes and negotiations, and has represented clients in proceedings before the Employment Relations Authority and the Employment Court.
Hayden Wilson, Chair of Dentons in New Zealand said, “These appointments recognise the growing talent base we have within the firm and that our emerging lawyers are gaining the exposure they need to progress their careers. They demonstrate the passion and focus of our emerging lawyers and I congratulate them on this fantastic achievement.”
