Lowndes

Mark is a highly experienced corporate and commercial lawyer.

He advises New Zealand and international companies on a range of matters such as mergers and acquisitions, securitisations, capital raising, private equity, venture capital, corporate recovery and international investment. Mark also leads the firm’s technology, media, telecommunications and IP practices, which act for a wide range of clients from start-ups to global brands on local and international matters.

Mark commenced practice at Simpson Grierson. After a period as in-house counsel for BP Oil New Zealand, he founded Lowndes Jordan in 1986 as New Zealand’s first ’boutique’ law firm. In 1997 he founded Lowndes, which combines the partner accessibility and client-focus of a boutique firm with the knowledge and range of specialist expertise of a large commercial firm. Alongside his corporate advisory work, Mark holds various company directorships and trusteeships in NZ and internationally.

He is a Certified Member of the Institute of Directors and has served as a mentor for the Institute of Directors’ New and Aspiring Directors Programme.

Mark has chaired Multilaw, a leading global association of over 9,000 lawyers practising in 100 countries, and ranked as ‘Elite’ by Chambers Global.

Mark leads the firm’s involvement with Multilaw and leading international networks Legalink and INBLF.

He is active in the International Bar Association and the Inter-Pacific Bar Association where he is Vice-Chair of the Legal Practice Committee.

Mark is recommended as a leading lawyer by prominent international legal industry directories including Chambers Global, Legal 500 (‘Highly Recommended’) and Asialaw Profiles (‘a Market Leading Lawyer’).

Mark has served as a judge of the New Zealand Law Awards and the Australasian Law Awards respectively since 2015.

Michael has a broad range of commercial litigation and dispute resolution experience with a special expertise in maritime, shipping, transport, ports and aviation. After establishing his career in New Zealand, he spent seven years with the London office of an international law firm.

During his time in London he was admitted as a solicitor of the High Court in England and Wales. Within his maritime, shipping, transport, ports and aviation practice, Michael has particular skills in the effective assembling and management of teams in large-scale litigation projects – a role outside the usual skills of a lawyer as advisor. Such projects include the litigation and project management of a team of professionals resulting from the Rena grounding which was New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster and largest shipping litigation. Michael joined Lowndes as a partner in 2009.

He acts for clients in dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration and in all Courts. His practice has an international focus and he regularly receives instructions from overseas clients.

Michael is ranked as a leading lawyer in a number of prominent legal directories. He has been ranked in Band One by Chambers & Partners for a number of years.  He is ranked in Asialaw Profiles in Shipping, Maritime and Aviation; Legal500 in Transport; Legal Media Group’s Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Shipping and Maritime Lawyers and its publication Best of the Best as one of the top 30 shipping lawyers in the world; and the US publication Best Lawyers International.