Partner Spotlight – Cristín McCoy

Partner Spotlight - Cristin McCoy

Hamilton Locke is pleased to launch its Partner Spotlight Series, profiling each of our partners, their background, expertise and insights. Stay tuned for our upcoming partner profiles. 


Career highlights

Far too many to choose from! I really enjoy acting for founders and family groups in raising capital and getting to an exit. Recent transactions that come to mind include the sale of Flora & Fauna, the sale of Narellan Pools, the sale of Lube Mobile, the sale of Green Option and the sale of OneAffiniti. It can be an emotional rollercoaster for sellers, particularly if they haven’t been through a transaction like that before, and it is always rewarding to help them get to a successful completion.

Proudest career moment

Originally from Ireland, I began my career as a lawyer in Dublin and came to Australia not knowing anyone in the industry, without the base of contacts I had built up working in Dublin over many years. I took the opportunities as they came along, and I am proud to have achieved what I have so far, including working on high-profile and complex deals, and being the first internally promoted partner at Hamilton Locke!

Journey to becoming a lawyer

I started practising as a lawyer in Dublin at the height of the global financial crisis, practising banking and finance law including restructures, pre-enforcement advice and advising liquidators of a bank. It was challenging work  and I learned a lot about what happens when things don’t go plan or turn out how people expected and how to hold my nerve in stressful situations. Since working in an M&A practice, I enjoy coming up with solutions to problems, working with a broad range of clients and advisors and successfully managing transactions to completion.

Da Vinci Development Program  

I was delighted to participate in Hamilton Locke’s annual Da Vinci program, our personal development program where all employees can opt in to participate in an activity to enhance their physical and mental well-being. Last year for the program, I chose swimming lessons. I knew it would be a stretch goal for me but I didn’t quite realise how much of a stretch! Swimming was a good choice for me as it is an opportunity to disconnect and focus on one thing. I completed a 1km ocean swim and didn’t drown which was a glorious success.

Why I joined Hamilton Locke

What I like most about Hamilton Locke is the people. While there are a group of people at Hamilton Locke that I have worked with for many years, it’s exciting to see the growth and many (many!) new joiners arriving almost weekly. Our culture is really important, to help us serve our clients as best as possible, and we work hard to protect and enhance it.

Tips for aspiring lawyers seeking partnership

Two things: hard work and access to opportunity.

If you don’t have access to opportunity where you are, can you create it for yourself? If not, find a place where there is opportunity. The hard work goes without saying!

The Halo Group mentality

All of Halo’s businesses, including Hamilton Locke, Emerson CoSec, Source, MacMillan Trade Marks and The Fold Legal are all united in the approach of providing an exceptional people experience, which in turns leads to the best possible client experience. To me, being part of Halo Group means working with fantastic people and sharing a common goal of delivering great service to great clients.

Top reading recommendations

I’ve recently read a number of exceptional books and highly recommend American Dirt, Girl, Woman, Other and Becoming.

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