Cath Shirley-Brown

Cath is a corporate lawyer who specialises in public and private M&A (including distressed transactions), joint venture and shareholder arrangements, and corporate and commercial law generally. She has experience advising clients across a wide range of industries, including real estate, infrastructure, retail, energy, IT and finance. She also has experience advising central and local government entities on corporate and commercial matters, and specific expertise in advising on cross-border transactions.

Prior to returning to the firm in May 2020, Cath was a partner at another large New Zealand law firm. She returned to New Zealand in 2018, having worked in London for a long period, at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, where she was a corporate partner for six years.

Cath was most recently recognised by the Best Lawyers® 2022 New Zealand Guide for Mergers and Acquisitions Law. She has been previously recognised by The Legal 500 as a recommended lawyer for upper-mid market deals (£250m+) in England and in 2021 as a Next Generation Partner in New Zealand, as well as by IFLR1000 as a 'Notable Practitioner' in M&A and Real Estate Acquisitions.