Averill Dickson Email & Phone Number

Auckland

IT and telecommunications, M&A, commercial contracts, business structuring and governance, capital-raising.

Auckland, New Zealand

Member of Assessment Review Panel. The Panel's role is to monitor the quality and standard of the Governance New Zealand assessments forming part of the International Chartered Governance Programme. During my time on the Panel, I moderated exam scripts and papers for Corporate Law. Corporate Accountability: Meetings and Disclosure and Corporate Governance.

Executive committee member and member of events sub-committee

I was a senior associate in Simpson Grierson's commercial group, specialising in information and communications technology (ICT).I have specialist expertise in providing corporate and commercial advice to technology businesses, and in advising on technology transactions for both users and suppliers. I also advised on business structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance, and provided general commercial advice, including advice on commercial contracts.

At Glaister Ennor I advised on business structuring, business sales and purchases, company constitutions and shareholder agreements, corporate governance and directors' duties, capital raising (including Securities Act issues), competition law issues, distribution/marketing and supply agreements, mergers, acquisitions and takeovers, statutory compliance, franchising and trademarks and, as head of the Glaister Ennor Technology Group, I provided specialist advice in the areas of acquisitions and sales of technology and technology-related services and on the establishment, operation, governance, funding, investment in and selling of technology businesses.

I was in-house legal counsel and company secretary for Endace, the first New Zealand company to list on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. During my time with Endace I had responsibility for all legal and HR-related activities throughout Endace’s global operations, and was also involved in the development and implementation of strategy as a member of the company’s senior executive team. In addition, I was heavily involved both in preparing Endace for listing and in the listing process itself.

I established Parkinson Law in July 2003, originally operating as a sole practitioner, but later joined by two further partners. I advised a number of technology-related businesses in the areas of IT contracts, corporate and commercial law. I was also the firm's Trust Account Partner.

IT Law is a boutique Auckland firm which practices exclusively in IT, e-commerce and telecommunications law. During my time at IT Law I advised on and drafted a wide range of IT-related agreements, including software licence, customisation and maintenance agreements, outsourcing agreements and web development agreements.

I joined Clendon Feeney’s Intellectual Property, Information Technology and Telecommunications Team on completion of Professional Legal Studies, made partner in 2000, and was appointed Trust Account Partner in 2001. My experience at Clendon Feeney included:• Advising on and drafting a wide range of technology agreements, including systems integration, software licensing and support, hardware supply and maintenance, • Advising on telco interconnect, number portability and IP telephony agreements, terms and conditions documentation for telcos and ISPs;• IT related due diligence and risk management audits;• Advising on Fair Trading Act, Privacy Act and competition law issues;• Advising on radio frequency management rights and licences;• General commercial work including corporate structuring and compliance, employment, dispute resolution, franchising and IP.

Llb / Bcom, Law, Finance, Economics

Activities and Societies: University of Auckland Ski Club

Chartered Secretary Profession Entry Programme, Corporate Governance, Finance, Secretaryship And Administration

Admitted as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries in 2009

Law Professionals

Stepping Up Programme

Requirement for entitlement to practise law on my own account/as a partner