New Zealand law firm Duncan Cotterill has announced the appointment of commercial law partner Ron Arieli to its Auckland team, continuing a strong period of growth marked by the opening of its fifth office in Queenstown and the appointment of several new partners which diversify and deepen practice areas, including employment, immigration and property.
Ron has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, as well as shareholders’ agreements, commercial contracts and capital raisings. His decade-long career spans both large and small New Zealand law firms, working with a variety of clients ranging from listed healthcare companies and local businesses negotiating sales to multinationals and high net worth individuals investing in New Zealand businesses.
“One of the things I’ve particularly enjoyed about my career is the variety of sectors and types of individuals and businesses I’ve been fortunate to work with as I’ve built my practice,” Ron said.
“What excites me about working with Duncan Cotterill is the huge opportunities that working at a well-known and regarded firm offers to grow my practice in new directions and provide enhanced support to clients, providing an outstanding depth of resource and experience to draw from.”
He notes that succession planning is much more of a focus for businesses in today’s global operating environment, creating strong demand for guidance and negotiation between stakeholders or purchasers as companies and their founders seek to create a values-driven legacy for the future.
Jonathan Scragg, Chair of Duncan Cotterill, said Ron’s appointment reflected the firm’s own focus on bringing the next generation of lawyers into its senior leadership. Ron’s appointment has seen Duncan Cotterill’s partnership grow to 46 partners, making the firm one of the largest three New Zealand law firms by partner number. All told, the firm has a team of more than 300 people operating from offices in Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Queenstown.
“The growth of our firm reflects the tremendous demand for quality, practical legal services across the board during a period of significant change, from property and employment law to immigration, environmental law and of course, commercial contracts. Ron’s experience advising and leading others in complex situations will be hugely valuable. We’re delighted to welcome him to the team,” said Jonathan.