Anna Fox

She assists clients with major commercial transactions, including structuring business entities, finance, and advising on large scale property transactions.

Anna is also a director of Nelson Building Society, which offers a range of banking and financial services with assets in excess of $1.1 billion. This gives her a unique perspective into finance and funding issues facing her clients whether they are lenders or borrowers.

She has a particular focus on company law and structuring, as well as commercial property matters. Anna also has expertise in advising clients on securities law compliance issues that arise in the course of commercial transactions.

Anna advises clients on all aspects of property development, from acquisition to the funding, subdivision and sale of subdivided properties. She also acts for a range of commercial property owners and has extensive experience in providing practical and commercially focused advice on leasing arrangements.

In addition to her general commercial expertise, Anna also has particular expertise in health related commercial matters, including structuring health entities and the drafting and negotiating of complex health contracts and other documentation.

Anna was admitted to the bar in 1998 after studying Law and Arts (Psychology) at the University of Otago.

She spent two years working at the Crown Prosecutor’s office in Christchurch before moving to London in 2000. Anna spent the next three years in London working in the finance department of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, as well as in the in-house legal teams for Enron and its successor in the energy market, American Electric Power.

Anna returned to Christchurch in early 2003, and began working at Saunders Robinson Brown.

Notable experience

• Advising on all aspects of well known green fields residential and commercial subdivisions in Canterbury and across New Zealand ranging in size from small high end subdivisions to developments in excess of 700 sections.

• Acting for a variety of prominent Canterbury property high density terraced housing developments to high end resort housing developments including negotiating the terms of equity financing from private lenders,  subdivision and sales.

• Advising finance companies on all aspects of lending including compliance with Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003 and Financial Services Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008.

• Advising terms of multi-million dollars’ worth of property development finance from first and second tier lenders.

• Advising nationally franchised supermarket owners on the sale and purchase of their businesses.

• Advising a private equity firm on all aspects of its diverse and growing portfolio including retail, manufacturing and wholesale businesses.

• Advising private specialist and GP groups on all aspects of their practice from structuring, statutory obligations, operational issues, contracts and procurement.

• Acting on the sale and purchase of several restaurants valuing $10m+ forming part of a significant national franchised business.

• Advising a start up company regarding raising capital to allow international growth, including compliance and structuring issues.

• Advising directors of a company in liquidation regarding possible breaches of duties as directors.

Affiliations

• Director of Nelson Building Society (and member of Audit and Risk Committee).

• Member of INSOL New Zealand.

• Member of the Canterbury Women's Legal Association.

• Member of the Institute of Directors.

• IOD Certificate in Company Direction.

• Former Chair of the Paparoa Street School Board of Trustees.

• Member of the New Zealand Law Society.

• Member of RITANZ.

• Committee member of Christchurch branch of Women in Restructuring and Insolvency.

• Member of the Property Council.

• Past member of NZLS Canterbury-Westland branch Commercial Property Committee.