Andrew, one of the firm’s two serving co-founders, advises on a wide range of corporate, strategic and transactional matters, with a focus on takeovers, corporate advisory, co-investment and joint venture arrangements, and business acquisitions and divestments.
He has particular expertise in providing strategic board, governance and transaction advice, including a focus on offshore investment in New Zealand. He is the lead legal adviser to a number of NZX listed entities and is regularly asked to provide specialist independent advice to boards in tandem with a company's usual legal advisers. He has developed a trusted advisor relationship with a number of local and international private investors and family offices in relation to their New Zealand interests.
Andrew is recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading public takeover lawyers, and co-heads the firm’s takeover practice. His experience and expertise in advising on the defence of hostile or unsolicited bids is unrivalled, and he is often sought out to provide specialist governance and strategic advice to boards who receive unsolicited bid proposals. He has presented on takeover defence to the New Zealand Institute of Directors Chairman’s Group and other specialist bodies.
Andrew was a senior corporate partner at Russell McVeagh before he left that firm in 2002 to establish Harmos Horton Lusk.
Recognition
Andrew is ranked as a Band 1 individual for Corporate/Commercial by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific, and is described as “world class and very strategic” with “an ‘excellent reputation’ in the corporate governance and transactional spheres, especially where complex takeover matters are concerned”.
Andrew is also recognised as a leading individual for Corporate/M&A by Asia Pacific Legal 500, with clients noting that he is “incredibly intelligent and always thinking of ways to achieve the required outcome”. In addition, he is recognised as a leading lawyer for Corporate/M&A by Asia Law Profiles and individually ranked for M&A by IFLR 1000.
Governance and other roles
Andrew has extensive governance experience across the listed, unlisted and not for profit sectors in New Zealand. He is the former chair of the board of NZX, is a non-executive director of ASX listed Scentre Group and was formerly a director of ASX listed AMP Limited and its subsidiaries AMP Bank Limited and AMP Life Limited. In addition, he is a director of a large private farm ownership holding company with external shareholders, and a former trustee of the New Zealand Arts Foundation and the McCahon Trust which provides an Auckland based residence programme for visual artists.
Annie is a specialist corporate lawyer with expertise in domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions and divestments, equity capital markets transactions, private securities offerings, joint ventures and other high value transactions. She also regularly advises on NZX and securities law compliance and foreign investment into New Zealand.
Annie acts for clients in a variety of industries including healthcare, agriculture and dairy, corporate real estate and telecommunications. She is the legal adviser to a number of NZX and/or ASX listed entities, including The a2 Milk Company, Argosy Property and Green Cross Health.
Before joining Harmos Horton Lusk, Annie was a corporate associate at Bell Gully.
Recognition
A number of the transactions on which Annie has advised have been nominated for industry awards. Annie was also a finalist in the Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year (35 and Younger) category at the 2018 NZ Law Awards.
Nathanael specialises in domestic and cross-border public and private mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets and listed company compliance and corporate governance.
Nathanael is one of New Zealand’s leading public takeover lawyers (both takeover bids under the Takeovers Code and schemes of arrangement). He co-leads the firm’s public takeovers practice and has advised on some of the most notable transactions under the Takeovers Code, including the highest value public takeover and highest value takeover-by-scheme in New Zealand corporate history.
Nathanael was appointed to the Takeovers Panel, the regulator of public takeovers in New Zealand, in 2016. He was also a member of the regulatory working group of the Capital Markets 2029 Taskforce (an industry review of New Zealand's capital markets initiated by NZX and the Financial Markets Authority).
Recognition
Nathanael is recognised as a ‘leading individual’ for Corporate/M&A by Asia Pacific Legal 500 (which has described him as an “intelligent, commercial as well as pragmatic” lawyer who “finds ways to do things others say you can’t”). He is also ranked for Corporate/Commercial by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific (which describes him as “a very commercially astute lawyer who offers good, pragmatic advice”), is recommended as a ‘distinguished practitioner’ for Corporate/M&A by Asia Law Profiles and as ‘highly regarded’ for M&A and Private Equity by IFLR1000.
Nathanael was a finalist for New Zealand Dealmaker of the Year at the 2022 and at the 2021 Australasian Law Awards and he was also named as one of only eight ‘top’ corporate lawyers in New Zealand in the New Zealand Herald’s 2022 Power List.
Over the last eight years, Nathanael has been the lead legal adviser on 14 transactions that have been nominated for, or won, transaction awards at the New Zealand Law Awards (including in the M&A Deal of the Year, International Deal of the Year, Equity Market Deal of the Year and Mid-Market Deal of the Year categories).
Governance and other roles
Nathanael is a member of the Takeovers Panel, the government body responsible for regulating public takeovers in New Zealand. He is also a trustee of the Laidlaw College Foundation, an endowment fund for a private tertiary training institution – with a multi-million dollar investment portfolio and substantial land holdings. Nathanael is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
Emma has considerable experience in corporate and commercial transactions both in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Emma specialises in advising on acquisitions, divestments, takeovers, joint ventures and shareholding arrangements. She also advises listed and unlisted companies on general corporate and securities law matters, including corporate reorganisations, private capital raisings, public securities offers and employee share schemes.
Before joining Harmos Horton Lusk, Emma was a senior associate at Russell McVeagh in Auckland, a senior associate at Allen & Overy in London and an associate at Kensington Swan in Auckland.
Recognition
A number of the transactions on which Emma has advised have been nominated for industry awards.
Tim specialises in corporate and securities law, with particular expertise in equity capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and joint venture transactions. He acts for clients in a wide range of industries and regularly advises some of New Zealand’s leading listed corporates and privately-held companies.
Tim is a leading securities lawyer, with extensive experience in equity capital markets transactions including initial public offerings, direct listings, secondary capital raisings and block trades. His experience includes advising AFT Pharmaceuticals on its initial public offering and NZX / ASX dual listing, Radius Residential Care on its direct listing on the NZX Main Board and MOVE Logistics Group on its reverse listing on the NZX Main Board.
His international experience includes working as a senior associate in the corporate and private equity teams at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London.
Recognition
Tim is ranked as a leading lawyer for a Corporate/Commercial by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific and has been described as "receiving extensive praise for his strong expertise in corporate law". Asia Pacific Legal 500 describes Tim as “commercially astute, incredibly responsive and a problem solver”. He is also recognised as a leading lawyer for Corporate/M&A by Asia Law Profiles.
A number of the transactions on which Tim has advised have won or been nominated for industry awards, including transactions that were nominated as M&A Deal of the Year at the 2019, 2017 and 2015 NZ Law Awards. In addition, Tim was recognised in the NZ Lawyer Hot List for 2016.
Greg, one of the firm’s two serving co-founders, retired as a director in 2019.
Greg has significant expertise and deep experience in advising international and domestic clients (including industry participants and private equity sponsors) on a wide range of transactions and is recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers.
He remains involved in, and continues to be available to, the firm and our clients in a consulting role. In addition, as a trusted adviser to a significant number of high net worth individuals and family offices, Greg continues to advise on family structuring, inter-generational wealth transfer and related issues. He also assists our directors on strategic advice and input on complex corporate transactions and issues.
Before co-founding Harmos Horton Lusk, Greg was a senior associate at Russell McVeagh in New Zealand and at Cravath Swaine & Moore in New York.
Recognition
Greg is individually ranked for Corporate/Commercial by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific, and is described as “a leading transactional lawyer” who “focuses on what the issues are, seeks solutions and delivers the outcomes.”
Greg is also recognised as a leading lawyer for Corporate/M&A by Asia Law Profiles and is individually ranked for M&A by IFLR 1000, which describes Greg as “excellent, technically able, commercially astute and efficient”.
Governance and other roles
Greg has significant governance experience across a range of industries and sectors.
Paul is a very senior and highly regarded practitioner, with over 40 years of corporate legal experience. He advises on a wide range of transactions, including public and private mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings and complex joint venture arrangements.
Paul has particular expertise in advising boards of directors on liability and risk mitigation - including director indemnities and directors’ insurance. He was the specialist independent adviser to the board of Fonterra on the $525 million NZX Main Board listing of units in the Fonterra Shareholders Fund, the board of Mighty River Power on its $1.7 billion ‘mixed ownership model’ initial public offering and NZX Main Board listing of that company and the board of Meridian on its $1.9 billion ‘mixed ownership model’ initial public offering and NZX Main Board listing.
Before joining Harmos Horton Lusk, Paul was a senior corporate partner at Russell McVeagh.
Recognition
Paul is individually ranked for Corporate/Commercial by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific, and is recognised for “his adept handling of M&A transactions and capital market matters.”
Paul is also recognised as a leading lawyer for Corporate/M&A by Asia Law Profiles and is individually ranked for M&A by IFLR 1000.
Henry is a senior associate with experience in a range of corporate and commercial transactions both in New Zealand and the United States. Henry has expertise in advising issuers and underwriters in connection with public and private offerings of securities, private equity transactions and private and public mergers and acquisitions. Henry also advises on securities, corporate governance and financial services compliance matters.
Before re-joining Harmos Horton Lusk as a senior associate, Henry was an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York City, an associate at Harmos Horton Lusk and an associate at Bell Gully.
Jason is a senior associate who advises on a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions. His transaction experience includes public and private equity capital raisings, mergers and acquisitions, takeover response, governance advice, managed investment schemes, shareholding arrangements, financing matters, property matters, cross-border transactions and commercial contracts. Jason also advises on securities and corporate compliance matters for a number of listed and unlisted issuers.
Before joining Harmos Horton Lusk, Jason was an associate at Russell McVeagh.
Kelsey is a senior associate who has experience across a wide range of corporate and finance matters. Her work includes mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, corporate advisory, equity and debt capital markets, private equity and venture capital. Kelsey also has experience advising on foreign investment into New Zealand.
Before joining Harmos Horton Lusk, Kelsey was a solicitor at Mayne Wetherell.
Anthony joined Harmos Horton Lusk in 2017 and is an associate with experience in a variety of corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, capital raisings and private equity transactions.
Fletcher joined Harmos Horton Lusk as a law clerk in 2020 having previously summer clerked at Bell Gully. Fletcher currently sits on the New Zealand Council of Legal Education.
Luke joined Harmos Horton Lusk as a law clerk in 2020 after having previously summer clerked at MinterEllisonRuddWatts.
Yvonne joined Harmos Horton Lusk as a law clerk in 2021 after having previously summer clerked at the firm in 2019.
Fletcher returned to Harmos Horton Lusk full-time in February 2020 after having worked at the firm over July/August 2019 before he went on his overseas travels. The firm appealed to him as it stood out as different from a standard commercial legal practice. His perception was that the people there were uniquely focused on helping clients solve some of the most complex legal issues with a firmly commercial approach.
Here’s Fletcher’s experience in his own words.
Mentorship
The experience so far has been better than I imagined. What has stood out is how generous everyone is with their time. The directors and associates will make sure you understand the background to any piece of work you’re given and always take the time to give you feedback. You’re learning from some of the top commercial lawyers in the country and are part of a team that is invested in your development and wants to see you succeed.
Responsibility
The level of responsibility given to me from day one surprised me. Senior staff and directors encourage you to find solutions yourself and ask for your opinion. It means you learn a lot very quickly and feel as though your work is adding real value to the team.
The learning curve in the first few months is steep, but you are given all the support you need. Senior members of the firm will go above and beyond to include you in projects and make sure you understand the relevant issues. Harmos Horton Lusk is unique in that you will usually be working directly with a director and getting to see how they engage with and help our clients first-hand.
Teamwork
Harmos Horton Lusk operates as one team, which means you work with most of the directors and associates across the firm. I really enjoy that. I’ve had the opportunity to help with M&A transactions, corporate governance and capital markets matters to date.
Because we are a relatively small team, there is a tight-knit culture, which is important to us. The firm invests heavily in initiatives such as team lunches, drinks after work and social functions.
Luke joined Harmos Horton Lusk in February 2020. He knew that the people there are at the very top of their game, and regularly work on the largest corporate deals in the country. He wanted to be part of that.
Here’s Luke’s experience in his own words.
Inclusion
Right from the get-go I’ve been treated like a valued member of the team. The directors have gone out of their way to get to know me and include me in their work, and everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I love working in an environment where people work hard and are focused and incredibly astute, but at the same time helpful, easy-going and fun. I look forward to going to work every single day.
Development
I knew that I’d be involved in high calibre work at Harmos Horton Lusk, alongside very well-respected people in the corporate law space, and that’s definitely the case.
On my first day I worked on a large deal, which featured numerous difficult procedural hurdles. I really enjoyed learning the background of the companies involved, the context of the deal, and the complexity of the directors’ roles in managing the processes and players involved. It’s a steep learning curve and I love the challenge of that.
Respect
It’s well known that Harmos Horton Lusk is one of the top corporate law firms in the country, and the people who work there are some of the best in the business. I feel very fortunate and extremely proud to say that I am now part of the team.
Yvonne joined Harmos Horton Lusk in February 2021 after summer clerking with the firm in the summer of 2019/20. She applied for the summer clerk position because she has a particular interest in corporate law, and she had heard about Harmos Horton Lusk’s reputation as one of the leading corporate law firms in New Zealand.
Here’s Yvonne’s experience as a summer clerk in her own words.
Varied
Harmos Horton Lusk is even better than I had imagined. They are a well-renowned corporate law firm and I assisted with work for a wide range of clients in many different industries. I helped with legal research, writing, searches, and many other legal tasks. It was a great experience – diverse and challenging.
Educational
I felt I was constantly learning from the senior members of the firm – everyone was very inclusive, and always willing to help and answer my questions. I found the trainings to be invaluable. They covered a broad range of topics relevant to corporate law. I found that having the trainings spread out amongst other work for clients made for a more valuable learning experience as I was able to develop a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the concepts taught by applying them in a real-world context.
Ambition
Harmos Horton Lusk has a fantastic culture. There is a real sense of teamwork, and people are hard- working and driven to achieve the best results for clients. At the same time they’re kind and always ready to laugh. I thoroughly enjoy working as a part of the Harmos Horton Lusk team!
