Advisory Board

Gary McDiarmid is CEO of Russell McVeagh, a 250 lawyer firm, with a total staff of over 400 shared across our Auckland and Wellington offices. The firm won 4 awards, was nominated for Managing Partner/CEO of the Year and was the only New Zealand firm nominated for the Corporate Citizen Firm of the Year by the ALB Australasian Law Awards 2010.

Gary is a forward thinking and inclusive CEO determined to continue developing a sustainable and diverse workforce. He is proud of the firm’s commitment to supporting a welcoming workplace, and was a driver behind the firm's recent achievement of the Rainbow Tick certification. In addition, Gary is an active member of Global Women and the CEO Champions for Change group.

Gary is an active and visible contributor to New Zealand's legal profession. He was the only New Zealander nominated for law firm leader of the year at the Australasian Law Awards, a finalist in the New Zealand “Walk the Talk” category at the 2016 Diversity Works Awards, and shortlisted for Managing Partner of the Year at the 2016 New Zealand Law Awards.

Edward B. Deutsch is the Managing Partner of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP. He is a Civil Trial Attorney, Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. He has been a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 1992, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. In October 2009, Mr. Deutsch was selected as an honoree of the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey and received the Trial Bar Award. This prestigious award recognizes those experienced trial lawyers whose professional careers exemplify the highest standards of trial practice and ethical conduct. In September 2012, Mr. Deutsch was honored with the Thomas D. Sayles, Jr. Humanitarian Award by the American Conference on Diversity.

Because of his expertise in personal injury, wrongful death, mass tort and product liability cases, Brian Panish has been appointed to serve on the Plaintiffs’ Steering and Executive committees in numerous high profile mass torts and major disaster cases. He is a member of the American Bar Association (formerly a Litigation Section Board Member), the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (formerly on the Board of Governors), and the Consumer Attorneys of California (formerly on the Board of Governors).

From 2000-2012, Keith Wetmore was Chair of Morrison & Foerster LLP, taking the lead in setting policy and providing strategic direction to the firm. During his tenure, the firm has expanded internationally and domestically in key financial and technology centers, and has been ranked on the American Lawyer A-List nine consecutive years. He has represented money center banks as agent in syndicated credit facilities, including multi-billion dollar working capital and acquisition financings, as well as smaller transactions, with particular emphasis in the technology and forest products sectors.