Ben Paterson > Russell McVeagh > Auckland, New Zealand > Lawyer Profile

Russell McVeagh
VERO CENTRE
48 SHORTLAND STREET
AUCKLAND 1010
New Zealand

Work Department

Corporate Advisory

Position

Partner

Career

Ben is a key dealmaker for Russell McVeagh, with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, joint ventures and overseas investment. Ben has acted on a number of significant and complex financial transactions, providing high quality legal advice to large scale, high-profile private equity and corporate clients, including Pacific Equity Partners, CPE Capital, Carlyle, The Riverside Company, Fonterra and Lion.

He is one of New Zealand’s leading experts on the NZ foreign direct investment regime and has been heavily involved in significant changes to the regime as well as providing advice to off-shore clients. He recently advised Fonterra on its $552 million sale of its dairy farms in China and its $633 million sale of DFE Pharma to CVC, and Advent International on its acquisition (through its portfolio company Industria Chimica Emiliana) of New Zealand Pharmaceuticals.

Ben joined Russell McVeagh in 2008 and progressed to partner in 2017.

Memberships

Ben is a member of the New Zealand Private Capital Association and the Australian New Zealand Sports Law Association.

Education

LLB (Hons), BSc (University of Canterbury).

Lawyer Rankings

New Zealand > Corporate and M&A

(Leading individuals)

Ben PatersonRussell McVeagh

Praised for its ‘very strong commercial instincts, capability, and complete calm even in the most difficult and stressful situations’, the corporate team at Russell McVeagh handles a steady stream of deals for a diverse portfolio of clients. The team’s expertise is notably pronounced in the financial services, private equity, and government sectors. The practice is spearheaded by David Hoare, who regularly advises high-profile clients on all aspects of complex corporate and commercial transactions. Wellington-based Mei Fern Johnson is noted for her expertise in infrastructure, transport, technology, energy, and joint ventures, with a track record of advising on significant market transactions, including Beijing Capital Group’s $1.9bn sale of Waste Management NZ. The ‘incredibly helpful’ Dan Jones, lauded for his ‘excellent industry knowledge’, specialises in M&A, capital markets and corporate advisory work for public and privately owned clients. A litany of local and international private equity fund managers turn to Ben Paterson for representation in the full scope of corporate transactions. With over three decades of experience, Joe Windmeyer is recommended for M&A, joint ventures, and securities matters, while Cath Shirley-Brown has a specific focus on cross-border transactions. All individuals mentioned above are based in Auckland unless otherwise stated.