Profile
Grant specialises in corporate and commercial law and has over 25 years experience. He previously spent six years with the London office of US law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and has worked on secondment within the London-based investment arm of Nomura International, a Japanese investment bank.
Grant has broad experience in leveraged cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in both distressed and non distressed situations, public takeovers, schemes of arrangement, joint ventures and consortium arrangements, regulatory consent processes including applications to the Overseas Investment Office (OIO), corporate governance matters, shareholder activism, management buyouts, corporate restructurings and capital raising (both equity and debt). Grant has a particular focus on private equity and venture capital, having acted for some well known VC, LBO, sovereign wealth, special situations and investment funds such as Adamantem Capital, Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP), Goldman Sachs Asian Special Situations, The Growth Fund, Blackstone, Morrison and Affinity Equity Partners, on their limited partnership formation, fund raising, portfolio company acquisitions, financings, ongoing investment and exits in the TMT, biotechnology, food and beverage, healthcare, dairy, agri-business, energy, real estate, retirement villages and aged care facilities, forestry, infrastructure, insurance, credit and financial services sectors.
Grant has a BCom (accounting and finance), LLB from the University of Auckland and has been admitted in England, Wales and New South Wales, Australia.
"Grant Dunn's combination of international legal expertise and commercial acumen is unparalleled. A real strategic thinker with superb judgement, his deep understanding of the legal and commercial landscapes and exceptional negotiation skills sets him apart from the rest."
Chambers
"Clients report that they have 'found him to be first class,' 'exceptional to work with', 'very efficient and really thorough' and praise him for his 'wide international experience' with one leading client singling him out as 'my first-choice lawyer on any M&A transaction'. He offers great accessibility, and is commended for his commerciality, patience, pragmatism and technical legal knowledge; he gets to the nub of the transaction and runs it with precision. He maintains a strong reputation for cross-border expertise, with especially notable experience of advising inbound investors on asset portfolio acquisitions. He is very much aware of what works and what does not work in New Zealand."
Chambers Global
- Recommended in Legal 500 Private Practice Powerlist 2024 for M&A Asia Pacific
- Grant is listed as a 'leading partner' for corporate and M&A by Legal 500, and a 'leading individual' for corporate/commercial by Chambers
- Recognised by IFLR1000 as a highly regarded lawyer for mergers and acquisitions (M&A)
- Recognised as an expert in private equity by Chambers Global, Asialaw and IFLR in the Guide to the World's Leading Private Equity Lawyers
Experience
Sector / Expertise
- Agribusiness, horticulture and forestry
- Asia business
- Biotechnology and therapeutic products
- Capital markets
- Cooperatives
- Corporate and commercial
- Corporate governance
- Early stage and high growth companies
- Energy and renewables
- Food and beverage
- Franchising
- Health
- Infrastructure
- Joint ventures and limited partnerships
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Minerals and petroleum
- Overseas investment
- Private equity
- Structured finance
- Takeovers
- Technology, media and telecommunications
- Transport
- Venture capital
International
Work highlights
Advising New Zealand's largest online ecommerce website Trade Me
on numerous acquisitions including Property NZ Limited operating the homes.co.nz website, Autograb and My Auto Shop
Advising NZX listed Good Spirits Hospitality Limited
on the competitive sale of nine licenced venues to Brew on Quay Limited and delisting
Advising Stabicraft Marine
in relation to its 35.9% investment from Simplicity's Private Equity Fund
Advising Reward Supply Co
on the acquisition of equipment supplier Southern Hospitality Limited
Advising the Board and senior management of Energy Fiji Limited (EFL)
on the sale of shares by the Fijian Government in Energy Fiji Limited to Sevens Pacific
Advising The Growth Fund
on the sale of the Plan B Group to ASX-listed Atturra Limited