Meredith Connell (MC)

1. Business / Trading Name: Meredith Connell (often abbreviated as MC).

2. Company Number: 8452443.

3. NZBN: 9429050779079.

4. Entity Type: New Zealand Limited Company (registered 19 August 2022). Operates as a private law firm (partnership prior to incorporation).

5. Business Classification: Legal services (ANZSIC code M693130 – legal service).

6. Industry Category: Professional services – Law Firm (specializing in litigation, prosecutions, and dispute resolution).

7. Year Founded: 1921 – commenced as the Crown Solicitor’s Office in Auckland (Sir Vincent Meredith appointed in 1921). Celebrated 100 years of service in 2021.

8. Addresses: Auckland Office – Level 7, MC Centre, 8 Hardinge Street, Auckland 1010 (PO Box 90750, Victoria Street West). Wellington Office – Level 23, AON Centre, 1 Willis Street, Wellington 6140 (PO Box 24546, Manners Street).

9. Website URL: Main site – mc.co.nz.

10. LinkedIn URL: linkedin.com/company/meredith-connell.

11. Company Hub NZ URL: companyhub.nz/meredith-connell-limited.

12. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/8452443

13. Social Media URLs: Facebook – facebook.com/MeredithConnellNZ ; Twitter (X) – @MCNewZealand ; Instagram – @meredithconnell ; YouTube – Meredith Connell channel (limited content).

14. Ultimate Holding Company: None – independent firm owned by its partners (not part of any holding company or conglomerate).

15. Key Shareholders: The firm’s shares are held by John Edward Stephens (100 shares, 100%) – a partner at Meredith Connell. (Shares likely held on behalf of the partnership ownership structure.)

16. Leadership: Mark Harborow – Chair of the Management Board. Sophie Schwass – Chief Executive Officer (appointed 2023, former Clifford Chance UK COO). Alysha McClintock – Crown Solicitor for Auckland (Partner & Deputy Board Chair). John Stephens – Director & Shareholder. Finance Director – Krystie Moynihan. (Former Crown Solicitor Brian Dickey led the firm’s Crown prosecution team 2015–2023.)

17. Staff: Approximately 240 staff in total (as of 2022), including ~160 lawyers. Of these, ~30 are full-time Crown prosecutors handling public prosecutions. The firm’s team spans partners, solicitors, legal executives, and support personnel.

18. Staff That Have Held Previous Government Roles: – Max Hardy: former Chief of Staff to the Auckland Mayor (Wayne Brown) and now an Auckland Council executive (he was concurrently an MC partner). – Michael Heron KC: Solicitor-General of NZ (2012–2016), previously an MC partner. – Kane Patena: current NZ Transport Agency Director of Land Transport, former MC partner. – Karen Chang: General Counsel (Acting) at the Financial Markets Authority, former senior Crown prosecutor at MC. – (Numerous judges also began at MC, e.g. High Court Justices Simon Moore and Christine Gordon were longtime MC partners before joining the bench.)

19. Past Employees: Notable alumni include Sir Vincent Meredith (founder, first Crown Solicitor), Hon. Justice Simon Moore (High Court Judge, ex-Crown Solicitor), Hon. Justice Christine Gordon (High Court Judge, former partner), Mike Heron KC (ex-Solicitor-General), and many senior lawyers who moved to prominent roles in government, judiciary, and private sector. MC has also seen departures to other firms or independent practice (e.g. former partner Fionnghuala Cuncannon to a plaintiff-focused firm).

20. Clients: Government of New Zealand – Crown Law Office (all major Crown prosecutions in Auckland). Public agencies – e.g. Commerce Commission (regular counsel on competition cases), Financial Markets Authority (prosecutions for financial crimes), Auckland Council and other local authorities (enforcement and public law advice). Private sector – domestic and foreign companies across industries (for example, Restaurant Brands NZ in commercial matters, finance and investment firms, insurance companies, liquidators, and directors in litigation).

21. Industries/Sectors Represented: Criminal justice and law enforcement; Government and public sector (central and local); Financial services and securities (banking, insurance, funds – including fraud/corruption cases and FMA actions) ; Commerce and corporate (cross-border commercial disputes, contract and negligence) ; Real estate and construction; Retail and consumer (regulatory compliance) ; Technology; Infrastructure and transport (e.g. regulatory advice in transport sector) ; Local government and environmental regulation. In sum, MC covers 23+ practice areas spanning virtually all legal sectors.

22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: MC frequently contributes to law reform and policy discussions. It has made submissions to government reviews and committees, for instance on competition law reforms (Commerce Act review), on civil pecuniary penalties (Law Commission review), and on class actions and litigation funding (2020 Law Commission issues paper). MC also provided input to the Rules Committee on improving civil court procedures. Partners often appear in Parliament select committee hearings representing clients (e.g. regulators) or advising on draft legislation (though such advocacy is usually on behalf of clients rather than MC itself).

23. Affiliations: Crown Solicitor Network – MC is the Crown Solicitor’s office for Auckland, working closely with Crown Law and the Solicitor-General. Legal Panels – MC is a panel law firm for Auckland Council (for enforcement and public law matters) and handles government briefs via All-of-Government legal service arrangements. Professional Associations – MC lawyers are members of NZ Law Society (with some in Law Society governance or specialist committees). The firm collaborates with peer firms on industry issues (e.g. co-organized an AML compliance working group with Simpson Grierson and others in 2018). MC is also a member of global legal networks through its lawyers’ affiliations and has informal ties with international firms via referrals.

24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: MC actively supports legal and business communities. It sponsors the Deloitte Top 200 “Meredith Connell Young Executive of the Year” award (naming-rights sponsor for the annual corporate awards category). The firm partnered with Victoria University of Wellington Law School to create the “Meredith Connell Community Corner” – a student space for wellbeing and study. MC also sponsors and hosts seminars and training for industry groups (e.g. co-sponsored events with Young Insurance Professionals and NZI). It collaborates with universities on internships and mooting competitions, and invests in community initiatives (such as charity fundraisers and supporting Police Managers’ Guild Trust, per firm announcements).

25. Events (held or organized): MC hosts an annual Winter Intern Programme for law students, including workshops and a moot court competition. The firm periodically runs client seminars on legal updates (recently on AML/CFT compliance, public sector law, etc.), and internal events like its Litigation Training Program in their full-scale mock courtroom. MC celebrated its centennial in 2021 with events involving the legal community and officials. It also facilitates training sessions for prosecutors and enforcement agencies as part of its Crown role. Publicly, MC is not known for large conferences, but partners often speak at legal conferences and MC occasionally co-hosts roundtables on law reform and justice issues.

26. Political Donations: No recorded donations by the firm itself. MC, as an entity, has not appeared in public electoral donation registers. Any political contributions from MC personnel appear to be in a personal capacity and below public disclosure thresholds. (No known large donations from MC or its principals have been disclosed in New Zealand Electoral Commission records.)

27. Controversies: Opaque Public Funding & Influence – MC’s long-held Crown prosecution contract (worth ~$7.5 million in public funds annually in recent years) has drawn scrutiny. Critics question why a private firm should receive ~$41m of state funding (across NZ) for prosecutions and highlight the lack of oversight of these “prosecution dynasties”. Concerns have been raised about potential conflicts and bias in a system where the firm both prosecutes on behalf of the state and represents private clients. Revolving Door & Conflict Perceptions – In 2022, MC partner Max Hardy’s secondment as Auckland Mayor’s Chief of Staff drew controversy after the Mayor’s Office paid MC ~$123k in legal fees within two months, prompting criticism of reliance on a firm linked to a top aide. Councillors termed the spending “staggering,” suggesting a conflict of interest in outsourcing work to MC when a former partner was in the Mayor’s office. Professional Missteps – In 2023, an Overseas Investment Office investigation noted MC (as conveyancing lawyers) failed to advise a client (Restaurant Brands NZ) of a consent requirement in a land purchase, an oversight that led to a legal breach (fine imposed on the client). MC acknowledged the error by improving training, while declining public comment on the incident. Generally, MC maintains a low public profile in controversies; it has occasionally faced internal challenges (such as the departure of a group of litigators, which the firm downplayed as routine) and is sometimes subject to critique in media for perceived aggressiveness in court.

28. Other Information of Note: MC is New Zealand’s largest litigation firm by headcount and case volume. It has evolved from a purely prosecution-focused practice to a broad disputes and advisory firm, now handling complex commercial litigations alongside its public work. The firm prides itself on innovation in training and workplace quality: in 2021 it opened a state-of-the-art office (“MC Centre”) with a fully equipped High Court courtroom for training its lawyers. MC was the first NZ law firm to achieve WELL Building certification for workplace wellness and holds a 6 Green Star sustainability rating. Diversity: MC’s partnership is nearly 40% female (as of 2024), and it emphasizes reflecting the community in its staff – echoing commitments to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and diversity in its Crown Solicitor role. MC’s deep involvement in the justice system (over 100 years as Auckland’s Crown Solicitor) gives it a unique repository of legal expertise. This history, coupled with strategic growth (e.g. merger with Prestige Law in 2020 to serve Asian community clients), has solidified MC’s reputation as a “one-stop” litigation powerhouse in New Zealand.

Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz