Insurance litigator Caroline Laband has joined the
DLA Piper partnership, saying the appeal of its international scale and therefore its global client base was the decider.
Laband recently left local top tier firm Russell McVeagh, where she was senior associate, to take a partnership role at DLA Piper.
This increases the firm’s presence in New Zealand to 24 partners, 29% of whom are female, the company said.
Laband told
NZ Lawyer: “Being now part of that global DLA Piper network which for me really fits with my background.
“It’s a chance for me to bring those two aspects of my career together.”
Specialising in insurance and reinsurance, shipping, professional negligence, banking and financial services, Laband said she was looking forward to joining a very established insurance team that had some amazing, top quality clients.
“It’s a chance for me to really focus on the type of work that I love doing.”
Coming from the UK where she practised as a barrister at the prestigious 7 King’s Bench Walk Chambers, Laband has a BA (Hons) and LLM (Hons) from Cambridge University and is recognised as a leading expert in insurance and reinsurance in
Who’s Who Legal 2013 and 2014.
DLA Piper New Zealand chairman Martin Wiseman said: “Caroline’s international knowledge and experience are a natural fit with DLA Piper, a firm capable of delivering access to global best practice and expertise across borders, sectors and specialities worldwide.”
Laband said she was excited to be joining the firm at this time.
“Issues arising from the Canterbury earthquakes continue to occupy the industry, and the market is facing new challenges.
“These include the changes to Fire Service funding, the new
EQC Act, bedding in of the Fair Insurance Code and the rise of cyber insurance.
“As a global firm operating in a local market, we are well placed to understand the impact of these developments on our clients and the industry in general, drawing on our knowledge bank in New Zealand and from similar developments globally.”
