Global experience, local focus: Welcoming back Hannah Checkley to Duncan Cotterill Wellington

Can you tell us about your career journey so far?

I started my legal career at a boutique firm here in Wellington in a broad corporate and commercial role with a strong M&A focus. After five and a half years, I moved to Duncan Cotterill and joined the Wellington commercial team. That was again a very broad corporate and commercial role, but I also supported many of Duncan Cotterill’s not-for-profit clients at that time.

For the last three years, I have been working in-house at global technology scale-up companies, most recently at a cybersecurity company in London. Both of my in-house roles covered a wide scope of work with a strong commercial contracting focus, and they also involved many other things as well, including corporate governance and data protection and privacy compliance.

What made you decide to return to New Zealand and to Duncan Cotterill?

I loved living in London — it’s a fantastic city. But after two and a half years, my partner and I started to miss the New Zealand lifestyle — the access to nature, and having our family and friends, and our dog close by.

What attracted me back to Duncan Cotterill specifically were the people and the work. Having worked here before, I knew that I’d fit in well with the team. The Wellington commercial team has fantastic clients, and my experience previously was that you get a great mix of corporate and commercial work. So yes- the people and the work attracted me back.

What were some of the highlights of your role in London?

There were so many highlights. A key highlight was working closely with executive and business teams as a business partner in decision-making processes. Working in-house gives you a deep understanding of the business and its commercial drivers, and I really enjoyed helping shape solutions that balanced legal risk with commercial opportunity.

That experience taught me the importance of being pragmatic and collaborative, and it shaped how I work now. I focus on understanding the bigger picture, my clients’ businesses, and their strategic goals.

What skills and experience are you bringing back with you?

I’m excited to bring my overseas experience in commercial contracting particularly in the technology sector, as well as the skills I developed in global data protection and privacy compliance back to my New Zealand practice. In London, the company I worked for was a B2B cyber security solutions provider, which meant a strong focus on commercial contracting.

I worked very closely with our go-to-market sales teams and advised on a wide range of contracts involving the sale of technology, supplier arrangements and channel partners. There was also a significant data protection and privacy component to our work,  ensuring that agreements were compliant and robust.

How has it been settling back into Duncan Cotterill?

I’m really enjoying the variety of work and getting reacquainted with the New Zealand legal landscape after being away for two and a half years. The people, and the Wellington commercial team in particular, are fantastic, and I think we’re in a great position to deliver excellent work.

It’s been straight back into things, but I’m really enjoying it — it feels like I never left!

What kind of work have you been involved in since returning?

Since returning, I’ve really enjoyed getting stuck into some M&A work again. Recently, I acted for the purchaser on the acquisition of a New Zealand beverage business, and I’m currently scoping a vendor due diligence engagement for a potential M&A transaction, where we will be acting for the sellers on the New Zealand aspects of the deal.

Alongside M&A, I’ve also had a steady stream of commercial contracts to draft and review. I’ve also advised on a range of corporate matters, including employee share schemes and matters under the Financial Markets Conduct Act.

So far, I’ve had a fantastic mix of transactional work and broader commercial matters. I’m excited to be back — exciting times ahead!