Roger Partridge

Roger has led or supported initiatives to improve the firm's service to clients and the engagement and strength of its team of people, as well as programmes aimed at increasing the number of women in the partnership and the firm's pro bono contribution to the community.  Roger has also initiated projects to expand the firm's public sector and agribusiness practices, and to broaden the firm's international relationships and focus, particularly in Asia.

During his time as Chairman, Bell Gully has won the prestigious IFLR New Zealand Law Firm of the Year award for 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and been named Who's Who Legal Law Firm of the Year in New Zealand for 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. In March 2010 the firm was also awarded the Gold Award as Australasian Legal Business Employer of Choice for New Zealand.

As a litigation partner, Roger specialises in company law and securities and banking and finance litigation, competition law matters and commercial contractual disputes, and is recognised for handling large-scale litigation and in developing strategies for successfully resolving complex disputes. Roger's experience includes acting for corporate, banking and investment banking clients in litigation arising from corporate takeovers and mergers, securities transactions, and trade practices issues. He has appeared in numerous Takeovers Panel, NZX, Commerce Commission and Securities Commission inquiries and as counsel in major litigation in the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Roger has been a member of the New Zealand Business Roundtable since 2008 and was elected Chairman in August 2010. He was Director of the Legal Research Foundation, New Zealand's leading private law reform body, from 2001 to May 2010, and is a member of the editorial board of the New Zealand Law Review and the Alumni Advisory Board of the Auckland University Law Review.

Chambers Asia Pacific 2011 ranks Roger as a leading lawyer in litigation, noting that he is highly regarded in the commercial disputes field and "has a very broad knowledge base, making him an excellent person to bounce ideas off." Previous editions note that he "has an excellent reputation and makes significant contribution to the litigation practice" and is "highly recommended for his expert handling of big-ticket disputes."