5 Senior Appointments At Bell Gully

Bell Gully is pleased to announce the appointment of​ four new partners and a new special counsel. The new partners are employment specialist Liz Coats, (pictured) experienced infrastructure and property development lawyer Ian Becke, environmental and resource management specialist Natasha Garvan and experienced corporate and commercial lawyer Angela Harford.

“We are delighted to welcome Liz, Ian, Natasha and Angela to the partnership. Each brings a unique range of skills to the position and has built a reputation for working tirelessly for the success of clients with Bell Gully and internationally,” Bell Gully chair Anna Buchly said.

“Liz is an excellent employment lawyer and has advised clients in many industries on the full range of employment issues, and she is leading the firm’s ongoing work around the Holidays Act. Ian has advised clients at the forefront of the construction and infrastructure industry in New Zealand and Australia over the last decade and is a well-respected specialist in this area. Natasha has demonstrated her skills across environmental policy and resource management up and down New Zealand and has strengthened the firm’s resource management team. Angela has brought significant talent to corporate and commercial transactions and acted for numerous government ministries and departments during her time at Bell Gully.”

The firm has also appointed a new special counsel – intellectual property​ and trade mark specialist Sooyun Lee.

“Sooyun has an excellent reputation for managing complex IP and trade mark issues. Her appointment is well-deserved and reflects her excellent work protecting our clients’ IP both in New Zealand and overseas,” Anna said.

“These promotions are testament to the dedication and hard work of not only these individuals, but their wider teams and the firm as a whole. We congratulate them on their successes to date and look forward to seeing more achievements in the future.”

Partners

Liz Coats is a specialist employment lawyer who delivers practical, commercially-focused advice across a range of ​employment issues.

Ian Becke is an experienced infrastructure and property development lawyer who has advised both public and private sector clients on a range of significant projects and transactions across New Zealand and Australia over the last decade.
Natasha Garvan provides environmental, policy and resource management advice to infrastructure providers, commercial entities, property and land developers, and community interest groups.
Angela Harford is a corporate and commercial specialist with domestic and international experience.

Special counsel​

Sooyun Lee​​ is an intellectual property specialist, with particular expertise in brand strategy and protection and IP disputes.

CyberAttacks – Ransomware Suspected at Several Major News Organizations and Hackers Threaten to Release 9/11 Insurance and Litigation Files

How you can fight back against ransomware

Robinson + Cole –

Late last week, several major news organizations were hit with a ransomware attack believed to involve Ryuk ransomware that affected several Tribune newspapers around the country and two newspapers formerly owned by Tribune. Ransomware cyber-attacks typically attempt to disable systems and infrastructure and block access until ransom is paid as opposed to attempting to steal data.

In the Tribune publishing case, ransomware caused printing and delivery problems for all of their newspapers around the country. One newspaper reported that it went to print Saturday without paid obituaries and classified ads and another reported that it was unable to produce its paper in time for Saturday delivery.

We did not see any reports of a ransom demand with respect to the Tribune incidents and it appears that the newspapers were able to get back in business fairly quickly.

In another announcement on New Year’s Eve, a hacker group announced that it has breached law firms and insurance companies that handled cases related to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The hacker group, called the Dark Overlord, is now threatening to release files and litigation documents related to the attacks and it appears to be demanding ransom payments in the form of bitcoin.

Both of these announcements show the breadth and sophistication of these recent cyber-attacks on major institutional targets. Whether it is ransomware or hackers, companies continue to need to implement strong best practices to prevent intrusion, to invest in the technology and talent necessary to protect companies from attack, and to remain vigilant in the battle to protect data, systems, and infrastructure.

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