Russell McVeagh


Russell McVeagh is a New Zealand law firm with offices in Auckland and Wellington. Along with Bell Gully and Chapman Tripp, it is considered to be one of the "big three".

History

established a one-man practice in Auckland in 1863. Various partners joined him before he was succeeded at the firm by his son Edward Robert Nolan Russell in 1893.
In 1904 Robert McVeagh became a partner and remained involved in the firm until his death in 1944. In 1969 the firm merged with McKenzie & Bartleet to become Russell McVeagh McKenzie Bartleet & Co, the name it held until 2000, when it became known simply as "Russell McVeagh".
The first legal job of the future politician Winston Peters after graduating in law in 1974 was with Russell McVeagh; he stayed for about three years, but became involved in politics.
In 1988 the firm established its Wellington office with four founding partners. New Zealand Government agencies became clients.
In 2018 the firm was criticised in the media for its handling of sexual assault allegations, levelled against two senior lawyers.

Controversy

Russell McVeagh is facing allegations that senior male lawyers engaged in non-consensual and consensual sexual acts with female intern students. These allegations have led all the six law schools in New Zealand to cut ties with Russell McVeagh.
The firm has ordered an external investigation into the allegations of sexual assault and harassment.