Phil has worked on a large number of significant projects, including major business and corporate transactions and structure matters.
Phil is a firm believer that strong client relationships, “thinking outside the square” and being part of the client’s core team are essential to achieve an optimum result.
Phil joined the firm in 1984, was appointed a Partner in 1988 and was a Director of McCaw Lewis Limited from 2011 to 2025. Phil is now a Consultant for the firm.
Laura leads a talented team of lawyers in the firm’s Commercial Law area.
She has extensive experience across a wide variety of business matters, including limited partnerships, ownership arrangements (shareholders’ agreements and share sales/purchases), negotiating commercial contracts, commercial property matters, commercial lease arrangements, Financial Markets Conduct Act issues, Overseas Investment Act matters, construction contracts, and business sales and purchases.
Laura’s approach is centered on helping clients meet their business goals while keeping things simple and understandable. Her unique strength as a lawyer is a genuine aim to understand and get behind clients. She has developed a particular specialisation in Māori commercial matters, assisting iwi clients—a client base she especially enjoys working with—to establish post-settlement governance entities and manage iwi assets.
Giving back to the community she grew up in remains important to Laura. She is currently on the boards of the Waikato Family Centre Trust and the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls Old Girls Association Committee. She is particularly proud of the women in business networking group, Elevate, she established with Stacey Martin (BNZ) and Alice van de Heyden (PwC Hamilton), which focuses on connecting, support, and education for women.
Outside of the workplace, Laura focuses on putting family first and finding balance. She enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters, and dog, reading, and keeping fit at the gym.
Laura was raised in Hamilton, returning here to join the firm in 2012, and was appointed as a Director of the firm in 2020.
