Two big announcements
/Fee Langstone is pleased to announce the appointment of Russell Stewart and Virginia Wethey as partners, effective 1 February 2019.
Newly appointed partners Virginia Wethey and Russell Stewart
Russell joined Fee Langstone’s predecessor (Jones Fee) in 2010, having practiced in Sydney for ten years. Prior to moving to Sydney, he practiced at a large commercial law firm in Auckland. Russell has represented clients in the legal, financial, accounting, auditing, mining, chemical, forestry, and property industries. He has extensive experience in professional indemnity claims and in conducting complex, high value commercial litigation, including representing a defendant in the Feltex litigation. He also has particular expertise in acting for the insurers of chartered accountants and auditors defending civil claims and disciplinary complaints.
Commenting on his appointment, partner at Fee Langstone, Philippa Fee, says: “Since Russell joined the firm eight years ago, he has been responsible for the handling of the firm’s two largest and most complex cases. He has the personal and technical skills required to ably achieve an excellent client-focused outcome. I am looking forward to working with him as a partner of Fee Langstone.” Russell adds: “I am absolutely delighted to become a partner of a firm with such a high calibre of people, work and opportunity. It has been a highly challenging and rewarding time since I started at the firm and I look forward to the new and exciting challenges as a partner.”
Virginia first joined the partners of Fee Langstone at Jones Fee as a graduate in 1999. After two years, she set off for London where she spent nearly a decade practicing at two leading insurance law firms, primarily specialising in professional indemnity claims. Virginia rejoined Jones Fee (now Fee Langstone) in 2011. Her expertise includes liability claims (particularly professional indemnity), fire and general insurance (including earthquake claims) and policy coverage.
Virginia says that she feels “extremely privileged to be joining the partners who first introduced me to insurance law. Fee Langstone has a strong sense of who we are and I feel very proud to join a partnership which so closely aligns with my own values and outlook. I am very much looking forward to this new chapter and the challenges it will bring.” Partner, Craig Langstone, comments that “Virginia is a welcome addition to our partnership. She is an outstanding lawyer and person. She was, of course, named in the 2018 and 2019 Legal 500 Asia Pacific editions as a Next Generation Lawyer to watch out for, and with good reason. Clients appreciate her practical approach to the insurance problems that she confronts on a daily basis and the legal expertise she has garnered over the past 20 years in the law.”
These appointments increase the number of partners at Fee Langstone to seven, with twenty-one lawyers, making it one of the largest insurance and commercial litigation firms in Auckland. It is ranked as a Tier One firm for insurance in the Legal 500 and was recently described as being “among the top of its peers”. Craig Langstone adds: “The appointment of Russell and Virginia as partners continues Fee Langstone’s growth and comes with the best wishes of global law firm Clyde & Co, Fee Langstone’s ‘best friends’ collaborators.”
All seven Fee Langstone partners: Matthew Atkinson, Cecily Brick, Pauline Davies, Philippa Fee, Craig Langstone, Russell Stewart and Virginia Wethey
