Briony is an experienced advisor and advocate in public law and regulatory matters. Her expertise is in the development and application of regulatory frameworks, public law litigation and dispute resolution, privacy and data protection, regulatory compliance and enforcement, and crisis management.

Briony has provided a wide range of strategic, legal and litigation advice across the airports, electricity, gas, telecommunications, primary production/processing, transport and financial services sectors. Her clients have included large regulated corporates, government agencies, quasi-regulatory bodies, industry groups, political parties and educational institutes.

Christine has held numerous senior legal and business roles during her career, including partner, general counsel, legal consultant to government and the private sector on energy sector issues, co-owner of a strategic consulting firm, regulator, board member and the chief executive of an industry body tasked with developing rules and regulations.

More specifically, her experience includes:

• providing advice to energy sector clients on a range of policy and regulatory matters affecting the supply and delivery of electricity and gas in New Zealand
• providing advice on economic regulation to electricity, gas and telecommunications clients
• assisting clients in other industries on pan industry governance issues.

Christine works with corporate clients who need to engage with regulators to develop policy to ensure their perspectives are understood when considering new legislation and regulation. She also helps clients develop government relations strategy, engage with officials on matters of concern and make submissions during formal consultation processes.

A particular area of Christine’s expertise is the Electricity Act, including the regulations and rules made under that Act, the Gas Act, and the Commerce Act and the inter-relationship between these pieces of legislation.

Christine has significant practical experience in leading and participating in multidisciplinary teams to develop complex industry governance arrangements including arrangements which operate under regulatory and self-regulatory frameworks.

Jane leads the technology team at MinterEllisonRuddWatts, and sits on the board of the firm’s joint venture, McCarthy Finch, investigating how legal services can be provided using artificial intelligence.

Jane specialises in commercial projects and commercial law with a particular focus on technology, procurement, public sector contracting and governance.

Jane has over 20 years of experience working in and for technology and blue chip organisations. She is trusted with clients’ most business-critical and complex technology projects, right across the technology spectrum. She is recognised as a practical option-generator, an excellent facilitator and clear communicator.

John is an experienced corporate and commercial, and public sector lawyer.

He has extensive experience in corporate, commercial law and public law, with a particular emphasis on the infrastructure, technology, gaming, sports, film and entertainment and arts and culture.

John undertakes a broad range of legal work with a particular emphasis on corporate governance, commercial contracting and procurement, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, intellectual property, and film and television financing.

Recognised as a leading TMT, entertainment, information technology and sports lawyer, John has been consistently listed by publications such as Asialaw, Chambers Global, Australian Legal Business Guide, The Best Lawyers in New Zealand and Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Technology, Media and Telecommunications Lawyers.

John currently serves as a member of the board of each of New Zealand on Air and New Zealand Film Commission.

Richard is a commercial lawyer with particular expertise in technology, media and telecommunications law, intellectual property, commercial contracting and sport.

He advises clients on issues arising at all stages in the product lifecycle and is an expert legal draftsperson and troubleshooter.  Richard is sought after to help establish new ventures and to commercialise new technology both in New Zealand and overseas.

As well as his technology practice, with a background in commercial and IP law, Richard is recognised as a leading Sports and Events lawyer ranked as Band 1 by international research directory Chambers Asia Pacific. He has broad experience working with event hosts, sponsors and stakeholders to deal with issues arising in relation to major events in New Zealand.

Ross heads the firm’s competition and economic regulation practice. He has more than twenty-five years of specialist experience, as a lawyer and regulator, and is recognised by Chambers as a Senior Statesman in both Competition and Telecommunications.

He was a partner at Rudd Watts and Stone (now MinterEllisonRuddWatts) between 1989 and 1998, and in MinterEllison (Sydney) from 1998 to 2007, where he headed MinterEllison’s Competition & Regulation practice. Between 2007 and 2012 he was New Zealand’s Telecommunications Commissioner, and a member of the Commerce Commission. Ross returned to the firm in 2013.

Since his return to the firm, Ross has represented clients in relation to merger clearances, authorisations and Commerce Commission investigations, and advised on the Commerce Act aspects of commercial arrangements and behaviour.

In telecommunications he has advised a wide range of telecommunications companies in relation to Telecommunications Act issues, and advised on the ongoing telecommunications sector reform processes.

Ross was the founder of MinterEllison’s online compliance training system, SAFETRAC, and leads the development of Safetrac in New Zealand. www.safetrac.co.nz

Ross has a PhD in competition law. He has published many articles on competition and telecommunications issues, and is a regular speaker at conferences.

Tom is a Partner in our Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) practice – a practice which has been recognised by international legal directory, Asia Pacific Legal500, as Tier 1 for TMT in New Zealand.

Tom advises on the full gambit of technology law issues – from advising clients on major technology transformation programs and large scale technology procurement, through outsourcing and managed services and “as a service” arrangements, to the more run of the mill software licensing and support agreements. Tom also advises on emerging technology areas such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, blockchain and smart contract related advice.

To compliment his “black-letter” law expertise developed in private practice in NZ and the UK, Tom is able to draw on deep commercial acumen following significant in-house experience at Spark NZ (where he was Assistant General Counsel) and at Telefonica O2 in the UK and Ireland.

Tom has been ranked by Chambers & Partners as a leading TMT lawyer since 2013 where sources say “He is a very good communicator, able to articulate what can be a complex concept in a way that is easily understood by various parties.”  The Asia Pacific Legal 500 ranks him a leading individual in TMT, where sources describe Tom as “very client-focused, passionate and proactive.”

Hannah is a general commercial lawyer who specialises in technology law. Her main areas of practice are advising on technology procurement, development, support, licensing, outsourcing and services arrangements, together with providing associated intellectual property advice. She also advises on general commercial matters and issues relating to privacy law.

She has worked with clients from a wide range of different industries in respect of their technology and intellectual property issues, including global leaders in the financial services, telecommunications and energy industries. Her experience covers working in private practice and in-house in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom.

Kate specialises in commercial law with particular expertise in information technology contracts, film financing, and consumer legal issues. Kate also advises on telecommunications services contracts from both the buy and sell side.

Kate has broad experience, having worked as a corporate lawyer at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, before gaining in-depth industry experience as senior legal counsel for a dark fibre telecoms company, in London.

Since returning to MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Kate has advised clients on large scale information technology master services agreement, systems integration agreements, telecommunications services agreements, and broadcasting and transmission agreements. In addition to her technology, media and telecommunications experience, Kate helps clients negotiate a wide range of customer and supplier supply agreements, particularly in the downstream energy sector.

Sonya is a Senior Associate in our Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) team with expertise in data, blockchain, technology, telecommunications, outsourcing and complex projects. Sonya also advises on regulatory and ethical compliance and on corporate transactions.

Clients describe Sonya as a positive, proactive and focused business partner whose work product is high quality, thorough and delivered on time. They note her organisational skill, tenacity, and ability to analyse and find practical solutions to multi-dimensional problems.

Prior to joining MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Sonya worked for other major law firms in New Zealand and in-house for large corporates in the United Kingdom

Peter specialises in commercial law with particular expertise in information technology. He helps clients both commercialise and procure IT services and systems, and advises clients on matters such as data protection, software licensing, and the legal requirements associated with e-commerce.

He advises private and public sector clients undertaking IT projects of all sizes, or general commercial deals. Clients appreciate Peter’s clear, pragmatic, and timely advice.

Peter applies his experience in contract law to prepare and negotiate appropriate terms and suggests pragmatic solutions to resolve identified contract issues. Whether he is involved as a contract negotiator, or is providing advice behind the scenes, Peter helps his clients to obtain contract terms that fit the deal.

Prior to joining MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Peter worked at another major New Zealand law firm.