NewLaw firm Law Squared has announced the launch of its dedicated Privacy + Cyber practice group and the opening of its first New Zealand office.

The move solidifies the firm’s reputation for bridging the gap between legal expertise and commercial impact and is further bolstered by the appointment of Mark Anderson, former cyber-insurance partner at Wotton + Kearney New Zealand, who will spearhead Law Squared’s New Zealand expansion.

Joining the team are recent Law Squared appointees Jon Crass, former privacy lawyer at Sparke Helmore, and James Cole, former head of Cyber Product at cyberSuite, and existing Law Squared privacy and commercial lawyer, Katherine Boyles.

Law Squared founder and director Demetrio Zema says: “Since our expansion into the UK in July 2022, we’ve had significant interest from global clients including insurers seeking dual and multi-jurisdictional support, particularly providing cutting-edge privacy and cyber risk support.

Of the demand driving the new practice group, Demetrio says: “Numerous UK-based companies including insurers are now working with [Australia and New Zealand] businesses. This, together with the recent surge in high profile data breaches has created new urgency for privacy and cyber security support.”

He adds: “The addition of privacy and cyber specialist capability with Mark, Jon and James’ expertise, boosts our ability to guide clients through the legal, regulatory and commercial challenges in this space - particularly those looking for true alternatives to traditional law firms not only in Australia or the UK, but now also in New Zealand.”

Demetrio adds: “The opening of a New Zealand office is a natural extension of our client service offering, mirroring the continued expansion of our multinational, corporate and in-house counsel clients to new jurisdictions.”

Speaking on his appointment to Law Squared, Anderson said: “Human-centred Law is an apt distillation of what makes Law Squared unique. Having watched the firm’s success, I am not only excited to now be part of the ongoing story, but to bring a more innovative, value-based legal engagement model to the New Zealand market.”

He also said: “The delivery of an international legal privacy and cyber proposition that is not constrained by borders is critical to ensuring organizations are best positioned to protect and deliver to their own clients. I am delighted to sit with some of the best advisers as we move to a new unparalleled mode of legal services.”

The new Law Squared Privacy + Cyber practice group will provide Australian, UK and New Zealand clients with end-to-end privacy and cyber risk management support including risk identification, breach assessment and notification, incident response planning and management, post-incident review and remediation and cyber insurance coverage.