Corporate and commercial law forms the basis of most large transactions that we deal with as a firm. Whether it is forming a new company, buying and selling a business, or providing general commercial advice, the team that will provide this advice is the Corporate team. Not only is our Corporate team one of New Zealand’s largest, we are also ranked Band 1 by top legal directories The Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Chambers Asia-Pacific.

Competition law plays a central role in protecting the consumer by promoting competition and regulating New Zealand business. This practice area includes advising on anti-competitive and unfair business practices (including cartels/hard core price fixing), mergers and acquisitions, product liability, regulations, and a wide range of commercial arrangements such as joint ventures, franchising and licensing.

Intellectual property (IP) and information technology (IT) have become fundamental areas of business law and we have a large team providing practical and strategic advice to our clients. The sector is broad and expanding in many directions – this means that we take an agile approach to resourcing work and creating solutions to meet our clients’ needs.

Tax issues arise in all areas of the law. Our tax team works closely with all teams in our firm, advising clients of the tax implications of their transactions and affairs. In addition, the tax team provides advice to their own clients seeking specialist tax advice, including New Zealand’s major banks, trusts, large corporates and high net-worth individuals.

We assist our clients with all their international trade-related queries, which range from requests for regulatory compliance, law reform and lobbying advice through to requests for representation in regulatory investigations, public inquiries, and international disputes. We have a strong track record of success as advocates and are recognised for Trade Law and Investment Law by Chambers Asia-Pacific and The Best Lawyers™ in New Zealand. In 2023, practice head Sarah Salmond was named Asia Pacific International Trade Lawyer of the Year at the Women in Business Awards Asia Pacific.

Click to hear from Brayden Print, who summer clerked with us in Corporate, and is now a solicitor in the M&A team in Auckland.

Disputes are part of doing business. Every organisation has its own interests to protect and this can often lead to conflict between organisations. To minimise the impact of a dispute on business operations and brand, organisations need swift, accurate and practical advice – that’s where we come in. Our lawyers’ depth of expertise and experience helps our clients to get to the bottom of a dispute, resolve it and move on with their business. We devise litigation strategies in consultation with our clients to accurately identify the issues and realistically portray the prospects of success. Our focus is always on achieving positive commercial outcomes. Our litigation team is ranked Tier 1 by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific and we are experts in representing parties from all sides of a dispute.

You can expect to learn about contractual and property disputes, insolvency, insurance and securities law, trusts, breach of fiduciary duty and negligence claims, competition law, economic and financial regulatory disputes, health & safety investigations and prosecutions and consumer protection issues. Through involvement in our work you will learn about litigation work and procedures, litigation strategy and the management of client expectations throughout a dispute. You will also have the opportunity to utilise your research skills, and learn how to produce clear concise verbal and written advice.

Our Employment team covers all aspects of employment law. From complex Holidays Act problems to employment transfers in the M&A space, we are the leading specialists in the field and have earned a Tier 1 ranking by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. We might be engaged to investigate inappropriate conduct, discrimination or harassment, or to guide our clients through the perils and pitfalls of performance or disciplinary processes.  If organisational change is on the cards, we not only help our clients develop efficient business structures, but also manage the sensitive challenges of consultation and redundancies. These matters will often evolve into litigation, which means we must also be experts in advocacy, acting as counsel in mediations or in hearings before the Employment Relations Authority or Employment Court.

Click to read about life in the Litigation team from Isabella Denholm, Tom Simmonds, Chantal Hoeft and Hasaan Malik.

Our Real Estate division integrates environment and planning and commercial property teams, who work together to help clients achieve their commercial objectives. Within those specialities, we address a range of matters affecting property and real estate. Our team is one of the most commercial and experienced in New Zealand and is ranked Tier 1 by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

The Property team advises on matters such as large scale residential developments, the acquisitions and disposals of major real estate portfolios, commercial and retail development and leasing, compliance programmes, forestry sector advice, inner-city apartment developments, iwi consultation, major project management, Māori land law and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, property joint ventures, subdivisions, telecommunication “roll-outs”, Treaty Settlements and unit title developments.

The Environment team advises on a wide variety of environmental, resource management, regulatory and statutory compliance issues, and risk management.

The team’s work involves all areas of environmental and resource management law, including resource consenting and compliance, planning, designation procedures for major infrastructure projects, permitting and compliance for the petroleum sector, and management of hazardous substances and contaminated sites.

A significant portion of the team’s work relates to dispute resolution – the Environment team manages all of its own litigation work and represents clients in settlement discussions and mediations and appears before a range of decision makers, including Boards of Inquiry, the Environment Court, the District Court and superior courts.

Click to hear from Josh Meikle, a previous summer clerk and currently Solicitor in our Wellington Property Team.

Click to hear from Amy Colebourn, who started as a Law Clerk and is now a Solicitor in our Auckland Real Estate Division.

Whether the project is a residential development, commercial building or a large infrastructure project, getting a job done on time, on budget, and to standard, are understood to be the hallmarks of success in the construction, engineering, and infrastructure industries. It also describes our attitude to working with clients. We understand the pressures our clients are under. By working closely with clients and recognising their needs and objectives, we identify the best way of handling complex construction projects.

Our firm has immense understanding and diversity in the practice of construction law. Our firm has more than twenty years of experience dealing with everything from major commercial and residential developments, stadiums, transport and electricity infrastructure, right through to water treatment and telecommunications infrastructure, defence projects and energy and resources projects. When disputes arise, expert guidance is provided by our lawyers, who are experienced in mediation, to find the best solution possible.

Click to hear from Jessie Kang, a previous summer clerk, and now solicitor in the Construction and Infrastructure team.