Neil Millar

A leading corporate lawyer with over 25 years’ experience in the UK and New Zealand, Neil heads our Auckland corporate practice.  He specialises in private equity and private company mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Neil’s clients include private business owner-operators, a range of private equity funds, large corporates, SME, and start-up companies.  He has significant experience acting for clients on transactions in the health, education, food and beverage, and privately held business sectors.

Relationship driven, collaborative and commercial, Neil is renowned for getting the most complex deals done.  He advises on all aspects of M&A and private equity, business sales, and commercial and business transactions and contracts, as well as joint ventures and shareholding arrangements.  He also manages complex and often large-scale consolidations and roll up strategies.

In addition to his M&A and private equity practice, Neil advises on practical governance issues, director responsibilities and strategic issues for his clients.  A trusted and pragmatic adviser, he has been asked to assist several of his clients in their own strategic planning workshops and board discussions.  Clients appreciate that “he makes proactive calls to check in on various aspects of our business and is happy to provide feedback on macro factors that may affect us” – Chambers Global 2021.

Neil is also one of New Zealand’s leading warranty and indemnity insurance experts, providing in-market assistance to most of the key insurers and assisting buyers and sellers with advice in connection with policies and claims.

Recognised as a leading Corporate/ Commercial lawyer by many top legal directories including Chambers Asia-Pacific and Global, Neil has been described by clients as an “approachable and affable lawyer” who “provides excellent support and a pragmatic, commercially centred approach” – Chambers Asia-Pacific 2022.  One client reported that the “high calibre of the advice which we received from him was key to the deal’s success” – Chambers Asia-Pacific 2020.  Neil is a skilful negotiator who builds and maintains good relationships with counterparties which ultimately benefit his clients.

Neil has worked both in London at McGrigors and in Philadelphia at Pepper Hamilton LLP.  Clients value his international experience, noting that he brings a global perspective to transactions.

Neil is the author of the firm’s annual M&A Forecast.