Korero – Chambers News

Bankside Chambers

The first quarter of 2022 has been exciting for Bankside Chambers. We warmly welcome four exceptional barristers and take this opportunity to recognise Bankside barristers for their international recognition. We also honour a pioneer of international arbitration, Sir David Williams KNZM, QC, with a Special Volume of the Auckland University Law Review, led by Dr Anna Kirk.

Aidan Cameron joins Bankside Chambers as an independent member after working as an employed barrister for a number of years for Bankside members Kate Davenport QC, Derek Nolan QC, Simon Foote QC and Rowan Butler. Aidan has a strong pedigree in civil, trusts and estates, and resource management litigation. Aidan provides advice and advocacy services to a broad spectrum of clients, from top-10 NZX listed firms to sole traders and SMEs, as well as private clients, and frequently appears in the senior Courts. Aidan can accept direct instructions on certain matters and works closely with instructing solicitors to achieve high-quality solutions for their clients.

Aidan Cameron

David Johnstone joins Bankside Chambers following a lengthy period as a partner in a top tier law firm, practising in regulatory and particularly criminal litigation. A member of the Serious Fraud Office’s prosecutors panel, he has extensive experience in commercial and regulatory compliance, particularly in anti-money laundering enforcement, and prudential supervision.

David Johnstone

Kingi Snelgar (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whakaue, Te Whakatohea, Ngai Tahu) joins Bankside as an experienced litigator. He has appeared before the District Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Kingi began his career at Meredith Connell specialising in criminal prosecution before completing a Master's of Law at Harvard Law School as a Fulbright Scholar. He joined the bar practising in Manukau as a Youth Advocate and defence lawyer. Kingi was appointed as an inaugural Commissioner on Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, Criminal Cases Review Commission. Kingi is also counsel to assist the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care. He is available for roles as both senior and junior counsel.

Kingi Snelgar

Sharon Chandra is an experienced family lawyer, having spent over a decade practising exclusively in the area of family law. Sharon has expertise in all areas of family law, with a specialist focus on relationship property and trust and estate litigation. Sharon has been named one of the recommended leading family and relationship property lawyers in New Zealand according to Doyle’s Guide 2022 and 2021. An Auckland City representative for the Family Law Section of the New Zealand Law Society, Sharon is also a contributing author to leading online legal research service, Westlaw, and publishes family law articles in various legal publications.

Sharon Chandra

We congratulate 15 Bankside barristers who received rankings in the 2022 Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific Guide Rankings, and we also congratulate those in other Chambers in New Zealand who received rankings. See bankside.co.nz/post/top-ranking for the full article.

Sir David Williams KNZM, QC has been honoured with a Special Volume of the Auckland University Law Review, led by Dr Anna Kirk. The publication features Articles by Dr Simon Foote QC, Sam Jeffs, James Hosking and Diana Qiu. We are proud sponsors of this Special Volume and proud to have one of the world’s best international arbitrators here at Bankside. Read more at bankside. co.nz/post/honouring-sir-david-williams-qc

Dr Anna Kirk and Sir David Williams KNZM, QC

Bridgeside Chambers

Bridgeside Chambers in Christchurch has announced an expansion that has effectively doubled its size. Alanya Limmer, Lisa Preston, Matthew Prendergast and Helen Bennett have joined current members, James Rapley QC, Simon Shamy, Philip Shamy, Kerry Cook, Glenn Jones and David Caldwell. Helen Coutts (formerly employed by Jonathan Eaton QC before his appointment as a High Court Judge) is now a barrister in her own right and associate member of chambers. Ben Shamy has joined chambers as an employed barrister working for Philip Shamy.

Bridgeside is also delighted to count Fiona Guy Kidd QC, Ian Robertson SC and Tiana Epati as door tenants. James Rapley QC notes that door tenancy is an important part of the chambers ethos, as it promotes collegiality and learnings from those working in other areas of the country and abroad.

Founded in 2002, by Jonathan Eaton QC (now Justice Eaton), James Rapley QC and Simon Shamy, the original chambers overlooked the Armagh Bridge, which gave the set its name. Following on from the Christchurch earthquakes, the chambers relocated to Level 6, 77 Hereford Street - this time right next to the Hereford Bridge. The recent expansion has resulted in the addition of the whole of the space on Level 5. This has allowed the chambers to accommodate juniors, the new members, and provides capacity for growth.

Clifton Chambers

Steve Wragg has recently moved to the independent bar, joining Clifton Chambers in Wellington, where he will continue to specialise in employment and health and safety law. Steve has 20+ years’ legal experience gained in the UK and New Zealand. Prior to becoming a barrister sole, Steve led the in-house employment law team at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington for more than five years, and before that held roles as a Senior Associate at Dentons Kensington Swan and MinterEllisonRuddWatts. In addition to general employment law and health and safety advice and representation, he is available to conduct independent employment investigations and workplace culture reviews.

Steve Wragg

Eldon Chambers

Paul David QC, Sarah Wroe and Associate Member Fiona McGeorge welcome three new members to Eldon Chambers.

Trevor Shiels QC of Ten George Chambers, Dunedin has now also joined Eldon Chambers in Auckland as an Associate Member. Trevor has been at the bar for nearly thirty years after some time as a partner in a general practice firm.

Trevor’s practice covers a full range of civil dispute resolution with particular involvement in conveyancing and real property issues, trusts and estates, and higher value relationship property. He is also a Fellow of AMINZ and a member of its Arbitration Panel, as well as being an accredited RMA Commissioner (with Chair endorsement). He is very experienced in assisting parties at mediation. Trevor is available nationwide.

Trevor Sheils QC

Jason Mackie is an experienced civil and commercial litigator and former Crown prosecutor. His practice areas include insurance, professional and general liability claims, leaky building litigation, commercial property and construction disputes, commercial regulatory prosecution, and ADR.

Jason Mackie

Tom Ashley is employed as a barrister by Paul David QC and Sarah Wroe.

Tom is a former professional athlete (and was Olympic champion in windsurfing in 2008). After retiring from sport, Tom graduated LLB(Hons) at Auckland and started his law career at a large Auckland firm. He left that firm in 2016 to pursue further opportunities in sport as Head Coach of the Chinese national windsurfing program and, most recently, CEO of Canoe Racing New Zealand. Tom joins Eldon Chambers as an employed barrister working with Paul David QC and Sarah Wroe. He will remain at Canoe Racing NZ as CE during his transition back into the legal profession.

Tom Ashley

Kate Sheppard Chambers

Kate Sheppard Chambers has recently welcomed two experienced barristers, Julie Kane and Rachael Ennor. Julie has diverse capabilities across multiple areas of law. She has experience in regulatory, competition, criminal, and fisheries law, gained over 20 years of practice. Rachael also has more than 20 years’ experience in public law. She has conducted litigation at all levels in New Zealand courts as lead or sole counsel and has particular expertise in appearing before the Waitangi Tribunal. For more detail about Rachael and Julie’s expertise, see https://katesheppardchambers.co.nz/.

Julie Kane and Rachael Ennor

Kōkiri Chambers

Barristers, Bernadette Roka Arapere and Rohario Murray, have established Kōkiri Chambers, a kaupapa Māori, virtual barristers’ chambers.

Bernadette (Ngāti Raukawa te au ki te Tonga, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Maniapoto) was formerly Crown Counsel in Public Law at the Crown Law Office and in private practice. Rohario (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Tūhourangi, Ngāpuhi) joins Kōkiri Chambers from the legal team at the Ministry for the Environment and worked previously as Crown Counsel in the Treaty team at Crown Law.

Bernadette Roka Arapere and Rohario Murray

Kōkiri Chambers’ barristers have expertise in Public and Administrative Law, litigation and dispute resolution, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori Legal Matters and Environmental Law. Both barristers are speakers of Te Reo Māori and have authentic knowledge of tikanga Māori.

The virtual nature of Kōkiri Chambers allows barristers to stay connected and available to assist clients with legal matters wherever they may be located.

Kōkiri Chambers operates in accordance with mātāpono (principles) and their vision – "Hāpaitia te kaupapa, manaakitia te tangata, hei oranga mō te iwi - Champion the cause, care for others, for the wellbeing of all."

Ai ua, ai hau, ai marangai. Kōkiri! Withstand the rain, the wind, the storms. Go forth!

www.kokirichambers.nz

Shortland Chambers

Since its beginnings in 1986, Shortland Chambers has been home to New Zealand’s highest calibre barristers. In February 2022, the members were pleased to welcome three new members, Simon Ladd, Desley Horton and Andrew Peat.

Formerly a senior litigation partner at Bell Gully, Simon Ladd is an experienced commercial and regulatory lawyer, specialising in competition law, the CCCFA and financial regulation, construction disputes, insurance law, and civil litigation. He is an experienced advocate and mediation counsel.

Simon Ladd

Desley Horton joins Shortland Chambers from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP in London, where she worked in the firm’s international litigation and arbitration team. Prior to that, Desley completed her Master's in Law at Stanford University and was a member of Russell McVeagh’s litigation team in Auckland. Desley practises in commercial and civil litigation and has particular experience in contract, company and trusts disputes.

Desley Horton

Andrew Peat is welcomed back to the independent bar and chambers following a period in private practice. Andrew acts in a wide variety of civil cases, with particular interest and experience in property law and related fields.

Andrew spent a number of years as a junior barrister at Shortland Chambers and, prior to that, practiced at one of New Zealand’s leading commercial law firms. Andrew also has a Master's in Law (Hons, First) from Trinity College, Dublin.

Andrew Peat

Stephen Mills QC

In 2021, Stephen Mills QC, retired from Shortland Chambers after 20 years. Stephen commented that the decision to retire was made “…with very mixed feelings, but ultimately with certainty”, notwithstanding that he would miss his chambers colleagues.

Stephen graduated with an LLB (Hons) degree from the University of Auckland Law School and went on to earn an LLM degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. For some years, he pursued an academic career, teaching at the University of Michigan Law School, the University of Auckland Law School, Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, the University of Western Ontario Law School and Dalhousie Law School.

In 1986 Stephen joined Chapman Tripp, becoming a partner there in 1989. During that time he was Chair of the firm and Chair of the Partner Admission Committee. He joined the independent bar in 2002, taking Silk in 2007. Stephen sat on the Bar Council of the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o te Ture from 2004 until 2015, and he served as President from 2012 to 2014. During his presidency, he helped the Association host its extremely well received World Bar Conference 2014. Stephen also led the successful negotiations with the Law Society and the Minister of Justice on the retention of the intervention rule, which is pivotal to the independence of the barrister’s role.

With a broad commercial practice, and a specialist practice in defamation, Stephen has appeared in a number of leading cases over the last 20 years, as well as acting as counsel assisting the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Building Failure Caused by the Canterbury Earthquakes. He led the Royal Commission’s legal team in the 10-week hearing into the collapse of the CTV building (May 2011 to October 2012).

Although Stephen has a number of on-going court commitments through 2022, his intention is to be fully retired by the end of the year. He has a new email address: stephen.millsQC@counsel.nz and can be contacted on his mobile number. Stephen's website is www.counsel.nz.

Stephen Mills QC

The Bar Association joins Shortland Chambers in wishing Stephen all the best for his (eventual) retirement.

Doing law differently

The practice of law has changed dramatically over the last two years as lawyers have been forced to adapt traditional models into a more flexible practice that accommodates work-from-home needs and modified family arrangements. There is a community of lawyers at the forefront of innovative practice, actively seeking ways to practice law differently, and they were doing so long before the pandemic. They aim to make connections and share experiences about re-imagined legal careers and client services.

Barrister Arla Kerr from the innovative and virtual Kate Sheppard Chambers, Prue Tyler (founder of SHIFT Advisory), and Suzie Sneddon (founder of Base Law) are building an informal network of practitioners who find the traditional models of legal practice do not fit with their lives or career aspirations. All have branched out to do things differently. Tyler, Kerr and Sneddon (pictured in order) have put together a series of events called “Doing Law Differently”. Each session will focus on various aspects of doing law differently and will address two core purposes.

The first is to increase awareness of different ways to practice by sharing the stories of people who are working differently and offering guidance and support to those considering a different career pathway. The second is to create a community with opportunities for networking, collaboration and collegiality.

Of special interest to those at the bar, there is a panel session in May hosted by Kate Sheppard Chambers. The sole practice panel will be moderated by Charlotte Griffin and will include Dhilum Nightingale and Elana Geddis. The panel will explore the flexibility and opportunities offered by the bar, including Griffin’s experience as a founding member of Kate Sheppard Chambers, how Nightingale uses design thinking in law and how it led her to work with female entrepreneurs in the Middle East, and Geddis’ experience advising on high profile and politically sensitive issues.

Arla Kerr

Prue Tyler

Suzie Sneddon