Lowndes Jordan Welcomes New Partner, Alicia Murray

AUCKLAND – 14 August 2025 – Corporate and commercial law firm Lowndes Jordan welcomes a new litigation partner, Alicia Murray.

Murray joins Lowndes Jordan as a general commercial litigator with specialist expertise in competition and insolvency law. Her appointment follows the elevation of former litigation partner Liz Gellert to the High Court bench, where she was recently sworn in as an Associate Judge.

Murray brings with her over two decades of experience in commercial litigation. She has advised domestic and multinational businesses on contract disputes, anti-competitive conduct, insolvency issues, director’s duties claims, merger clearances and financial markets investigations. Her ability to navigate complex issues with clarity and pragmatism aligns well with Lowndes Jordan’s philosophy of delivering high-quality, technically robust advice in a client-centric way.

Trusted client relationships

Lowndes Jordan is known for providing clients with highly personalised bespoke services, priding itself on delivering elegant legal solutions to challenging problems.

“Lowndes Jordan has always had a strong reputation and fostered trusted client relationships,” Murray says. “I’m genuinely excited to join a litigation team known for its sharp thinking and results. It’s a privilege to be working alongside such respected colleagues, and I’m looking forward to adding my capabilities while learning from such talented colleagues.

Murray joins existing litigation partner Karl Stolberger, as a team that can handle a wide range of challenging commercial litigation.

Stolberger says Murray’s appointment ensures continuity of service and capability for clients. “Alicia is a highly experienced, deeply respected litigator whose expertise reinforces our ability to offer clients specialist legal advice backed by commercial awareness.”

“Clients always have direct access to specialised partners, who are in turn supported by senior practitioners with a shared understanding of their business imperatives,” says Stolberger.  “Adding Alicia to that team means we’re even better equipped to deliver the kind of tailored, technically sound advice our clients rely on.”

Two steps to the bench

The departing Gellert is not the first Lowndes Jordan partner to have transitioned to the bench.  In 2020, Rachel Sussock was also appointed as an Associate Judge of the High Court. The appointments are notable for a firm of Lowndes Jordan’s boutique size and reflect a wider culture of intellectual rigour, professional integrity and client-focused practice.

“We see judicial appointments out of our practice as a validation of the overall quality of our work. They reflect the kind of lawyering we believe in: clear, principled, and grounded in real-world understanding,” says Stolberger.

Staying true to scale

Founded in 1986 as New Zealand’s first niche corporate law firm, Lowndes Jordan was established on the belief that business clients value top-tier advice delivered in a more personalised and cost-effective way. Nearly four decades later, the firm’s structure and philosophy remain true to that vision.

It’s this continuity that the firm believes is its real differentiator in a legal market that has grown in complexity and scale. While other firms may expand by volume, Lowndes Jordan continues to grow in a targeted way, engaging lawyers who align with the firm’s values and complement its existing expertise.

The current partnership includes Mike Busch, Sarah Kerr, Duncan Coats, and Rick Shera in the corporate and commercial team, and Karl Stolberger and Alicia Murray in litigation. The group collectively covers a wide range of sectors and specialisations, from technology and cyber security law to insolvency, M&A to capital markets, privacy to property and private equity and media to maritime and transport.

For Murray, the partnership was what mattered. “What attracted me to Lowndes Jordan was the clarity of purpose and alignment of values in its people. I am proud to continue in the footsteps of two fabulous litigation partners and serve clients to the same high standards the firm is known for.”

ENDS

Media contact:

For more information or to speak with a Lowndes Jordan partner, please contact Fred Russo at Botica Butler Raudon Partners on 021 403 509 or fredr@botica.co.nz.

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