Sam Wilson

Sam Wilson has extensive experience leading clients through all aspects of complex corporate and commercial transactions. Sam’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, emerging growth companies, joint ventures, corporate restructuring, franchising and commercial contracting. Sam works across a number of sectors, but has particular experience and focus in the technology, food and beverage and life sciences sectors.

Sam is a deal lawyer that enjoys working with innovative companies. From start-ups to global corporations, he helps companies and investors identify, finance and commercialise technologies, products and brands that will create the most value for them. Sam enjoys working with companies on every facet of their development and financing of their business. When it comes time to exit, Sam helps both sellers and buyers execute orderly and successful transactions.

Sam has a reputation in the market for being technically sound, commercially astute, and responsive. He was named finalist for Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year at the 2019 New Zealand Law Awards.

“Sam is technically very strong, is responsive and has excellent client relationship skills. Sam is good at working through issues and problems and coming up with workable solutions. We appreciate his fast turnaround time and attention to detail. Sam understands our business model well and balances our commercial needs while mitigating legal risk to an appropriate level.” – General Counsel, Foodstuffs North Island Limited

Key Transactions

Advised:

• A New Zealand tech unicorn on its sale to NASDAQ listed trade buyer for ~NZ$1.5 billion.
• New Zealand's largest grocery retailer on many of its strategic corporate transactions.
• International private equity funds on acquisitions of multiple New Zealand founded tech companies.
• A number of large corporates on their global corporate re-organisations.
• Emerging growth companies on their seed to series A–D capital raises and their day-to-day legal needs.

Awards

• New Zealand Law Awards, Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year, Finalist, 2019

Directories

• Asia Pacific Legal 500, Corporate and M&A, Next Generation Partner, 2024
• Asia Pacific Legal 500, Corporate and M&A, Rising Star 2022-2023
• IFLR1000, Corporate and M&A, Rising Star Partner, 2023

Credentials

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Bachelor of Science (BsC), University of Otago

Admission to the Bar

• New Zealand, 2011

Professional Memberships

• New Zealand Law Society, Member

Contributed Articles

• New requirements for incorporated societies now live

  The new Incorporated Societies Act 2022 (Act) and its Regulations came into force on 5 October 2023. This introduces significant changes to the law for incorporated societies, meaning that: Existing incorporated societies are now able to re-register under the new Act, and New societies must register under the new Act. For existing incorporated societies, the […]

• Establishing Customer Data Rights – Have your say on the Customer and Product Data Bill

  MBIE has opened consultation on the exposure draft of the highly anticipated Customer and Product Data Bill. The Bill establishes what has been referred to as a ‘Consumer Data Right’ (CDR). In practical terms the CDR aims to bolster the rights of customers in respect of their data by allowing customers to instruct businesses in […]