Law firm Anthony Harper has announced the promotion of Joey James to partner, and Jordan Wright, Olivia Welsh and Sarah Anderson to special counsel.

Managing Partner, Malcolm Hurley says: “We are proud to recognise 10 talented lawyers who have been promoted for their outstanding work and excellence in their respective legal fields, in particular Joey James who has been promoted to the partnership.

“Joey is a commercially astute lawyer who implements robust and realistic legal strategies for clients. His general litigation experience, combined with his involvement in one of New Zealand’s most complex litigation matters, adds new strength and depth to our litigation practice particularly around innovative discovery methods.

“The promotion of Jordan, Olivia and Sarah to special counsel recognises their highly regarded expertise in corporate advisory, health and safety, and construction respectively,” Hurley adds.

Joey James is a commercial litigation lawyer and dispute resolution specialist with extensive expertise in general civil disputes involving debt recovery and insolvency, contractual issues and company law. Joey originally joined Anthony Harper in 2015 and rejoined the firm in 2020 after spending two years overseas. He played a significant role acting for the liquidators of CBL Insurance Limited, one of the most complex litigation matters and largest discovery reviews in New Zealand’s history, which was named Insolvency and Restructuring Deal of the Year at the 2023 NZ Law Awards.

Jordan Wright is a corporate lawyer with extensive experience across a range of transactions and corporate deals. Jordan joined Anthony Harper in 2015 and has built her practice around corporate M&A transactions along with a specialist focus on logistics, transport and supply chain. With clients ranging from SMEs to NZX listed companies, Jordan is highly regarded for providing commercially astute advice that delivers accurate and practical solutions.

Olivia Welsh is an experienced health and safety specialist who helps clients respond to workplace accidents and subsequent regulatory investigations and prosecutions. A lawyer at Anthony Harper since 2019, Olivia is dedicated to improving education on workplace health and safety requirements and compliance. She actively contributes to the industry, sharing her knowledge through the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management Inc and providing pro bono support to its accreditation committee.

Sarah Anderson practises exclusively in construction and infrastructure law. Since joining Anthony Harper in 2016, Sarah has established a reputation for providing solutions-focused project advice to clients, which is complemented by her back-end dispute resolution experience. Sarah has held Auckland committee chair positions for both Infrastructure New Zealand’s Emerging Talent Network (now The Infrastructure Collective), and the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). She has been co-opted as a member of NAWIC’s National Council until 2025.

Other promotions announced include:

• Miles McConway: promoted to Associate, Litigation in Ōtautahi/Christchurch
• Steven Kent-Smith: promoted to Associate, Corporate Advisory in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland
• Elliot Nye: promoted to Senior Solicitor, Litigation in Ōtautahi/Christchurch
• Marcia Read: promoted to Senior Solicitor, Trusts and Asset Planning in Ōtautahi/Christchurch
• Sam Lester: promoted to Senior Solicitor, Corporate Advisory in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland
• Sophie Judson: promoted to Senior Solicitor, Banking, Financial Services and Insolvency in Ōtautahi/Christchurch

All new promotions are effective from 1 January 2024, with Joey’s appointment to the partnership subject to meeting Law Society requirements.