Rachel is a specialist financial services and funds management lawyer, with experience acting for funders and borrowers across a broad range of capital markets and structured lending transactions.

She has particular experience in project finance, restructuring, entertainment production financing and KiwiSaver. She also provides regulatory advice.

Rachel advises some of our leading corporate clients on their funding requirements including the Rank Group of companies, Fisher & Paykel Finance Limited and Tainui Group Holdings, as well as acting for a number of leading financial institutions such as ANZ Bank Limited, ASB Bank Limited, Bank of New Zealand and JP Morgan Chase, and corporate trustee, The New Zealand Guardian Trust Company Limited.

Rachel completed the Masters in Law programme at Harvard Law School where she was selected for the school's prestigious International Finance LLM programme. After Harvard, Rachel advised blue-chip clients on the financing and structuring of major infrastructure and acquisition projects while at Allen & Overy's Projects Group in London. She went on to work at Olswang, the UK's leading technology, communications and media law firm, where she advised household names on film production financing.

Chambers Asia Pacific 2013 names Rachel as a leading lawyer in banking and finance and describes her as an "excellent lawyer, who is a pleasure to work with." Rachel is also named as a leading lawyer in banking and finance by IFLR1000 2013 and is quoted in the previous edition as "an up and coming future superstar".

Qualifications

LLB (Hons), BA (Economics and Spanish), University of Auckland
LLM (International Finance), Harvard Law School

Admitted

2000 New Zealand

International Career

  • Allen & Overy, London
    2003-2005
  • Olswang, London
    2005-2006

Publications

Contact

Email: Rachel Paris

DDI: +64 9 916 8626

Download Vcard: Vcard for Rachel Paris

Areas of Expertise

Work Highlights

Funds management

Advised fund managers, including OnePath and ASB Bank Limited, on a range of investment products regulated by the Securities Act 1978.

Advised the trustee in connection with the establishment of the BNZ KiwiSaver scheme.

Advised managers and trustees on the restructuring of seven KiwiSaver schemes under the KiwiSaver Amendment Act 2009.

Financing/restructuring

Air New Zealand Limited
Advised Air New Zealand in relation to a number of financing transactions.

ANZ Bank Limited
Advised ANZ Bank Limited on a variety of leveraged and structured financing transactions (including cash-flowing grants under the Screen Production Incentive Fund).

Bank of New Zealand
Advised Bank of New Zealand on a range of leveraged and structured financing transaction.

Novotel Auckland Airport Hotel
Advised the joint venture partners (Tainui Group Holdings, Auckland Airport and Accor) on the funding of the first hotel to be build on the Airport's land.

Tainui Group Holdings
Advised Tainui Group Holdings on its debt facilities.

Motor Trade Finances
Advised Motor Trade Finances in connection with its NZ$400m automotive loan and lease receivable securitisation programme.

Goodman Fielder
Advised Goodman Fielder on a NZ$250m senior unsecured fixed rate bond issue to the New Zealand public through subsidiary Goodman Fielder New Zealand.

Acquisition financing
Advised the bank syndicates in relation to the New Zealand law aspects of a number of Australian acquisition financing transactions, including the acquisition of the Spotless Group.

Securitisation
Advised the trustee on the enforcement and close-out of three wholesale securitisation trusts.

Private equity
Advised the sponsors in relation to its equity and debt holding in a private equity fund.

Regulatory

Advised major French reinsurance company SCOR Global Life in relation to its activities in New Zealand.

Advised a number of major corporates including Air New Zealand Limited, Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited, JP Morgan Chase and Western Union Group, in relation to recent financial markets law reform.