NZBA Council 2020-2021 – meet your new Council

PAUL RADICH QC President (Wellington)

Paul served as a Council member from 2015 to 2018 and rejoined the Council last year as President Elect. He practises at Clifton Chambers in Wellington. Paul joined the bar in 2012, having been a litigation partner with Izard Weston, Bell Gully and Minter Ellison Rudd Watts. He has a general commercial litigation practice with a focus on public law and Treaty issues. Paul took Silk in 2014.

PHILLIP CORNEGÉ (Waikato/Bay of Plenty)

Phillip Cornegé is in his second term on Council. He has been a member of the NZBA Training Committee for some time, as well as serving on its Technology Committee. He presents regularly on running paperless hearings, and helped with the redrafting of the Senior Courts revised 2019 Electronic Document Protocol. Phillip is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer, and has appeared several times in the Court of Appeal.

KATE DAVENPORT QC Immediate Past President (Auckland)

Kate has now finished her twoyear term as President of the NZBA. She has agreed to stay on the Council as Past President. This role is provided for in our rules. Kate has made significant contributions to access to justice, including contributing to the workshop earlier this year run by the Chief Justice and the Ministry of Justice. She has been a strong advocate for equitable briefing and has spoken internationally about bullying and harassment. Her work during Covid 19 to support members, especially liaising with the courts, is widely appreciated.

QUENTIN DUFF (Auckland)

A criminal litigation specialist, Quentin is head of chambers at Mātai Chambers in Auckland. He graduated LLM from Victoria University of Wellington in 1997 and joined Kensington Swan the same year. He has practised at the private Bar since 2000 (although he had a further stint as a barrister & solicitor) before eventually founding Mātai Chambers. He has appeared as trial counsel and appellate counsel in the various courts of New Zealand, including the SC. He has been instructed in trans-Tasman disputes, and worked internationally, most notably in Hong Kong on cases from murder and whitecollar crime to company directors/shareholders disputes. Quentin's whakapapa is Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Arawa & Ngāti Raukawa. Quentin is a member of the Management Committee.

SIMON FOOTE QC Vice President (Auckland)

Simon is a barrister at Bankside Chambers in Auckland with a commercial litigation and arbitration practice. He went to the Bar in 2002, prior to which he worked at major firms in Wellington, Auckland and London, and as a Crown Prosecutor in Palmerston North. He was Deputy Chair of the 2014 World Bar Conference at Queenstown and the NZBA Conference in 2015, then Chair of the 2016, 2017, 2018 NZBA Conferences and the New Zealand Chair of the joint NZ-Australia Bar Conference in 2019. Simon also serves on the Association’s Access to Justice Committee, chairs the Membership Committee and participates as an advocacy trainer in the NZBA Mastering Advocacy Faculty. Simon took silk in 2019.

FELIX GEIRINGER (Wellington)

Wellington barrister, Felix Geiringer, practises in a broad range of legal fields. He has acted in a number of high-profile matters including representing Sir Tim Shadbolt in a successful defence of a defamation claim, representing Toni Waho in his successful trust law claim against Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, representing Nicky Hager in his judicial review and public law damages claims against the New Zealand Police, and representing the New Zealand Maori Council in its water claim. Felix’s cases also include matters involving commercial and company law, arbitration, administrative law, land law, professional discipline, inquiries, tort law, te Tiriti o Waitangi, sports law, and criminal appeals. He frequently appears in the appellate courts, including multiple appearances in the New Zealand Supreme Court and the Privy Council. Felix has joined the NZBA Access to Justice, Law Reform, Technology, and Annual Conference Committees.

TARYN GUDMANZ (Southland)

Taryn is a Dunedin-based civil litigator, who joined the independent bar in 2016. She is an immigrant, initially landing in Christchurch and obtaining her degrees there. Taryn started practising with Bell Gully (Wellington) in 2002. She was admitted in England & Wales, working with what is now Clyde & Co. After moving to Dunedin, she practised with Gallaway Cook Allan and then Anderson Lloyd. In addition to general commercial litigation, Taryn undertakes inquisitorial work (counsel to assist the Coroner, legal assistance panel for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care) and is an accredited mediator. She is also the Vice President of the NZLS Otago Branch, Deputy Chair of the King’s High School Board of Trustees, and a former convenor of OWLS.

SAM JEFFS Junior Rep (Auckland)

Sam is a barrister at Bankside Chambers specialising in commercial and civil disputes. Sam graduated from Oxford with a BCL (Distinction) and the University of Auckland with BA/LLB (Hons) degrees, where he was a Senior Scholar for both Law and Arts. Initially employed by Sir David Williams QC, Philip Skelton QC and Kelly Quinn at Bankside Chambers, Sam is now a member of Bankside himself, having had his career entirely at the bar. Sam is serving his second term on the NZBA Council.

RICHARD McGUIRE Associate Member Rep (Canterbury)

Richard has been with the Public Defence Service since 2011. Prior to his time with the PDS, he was a director in a firm in Christchurch where he had a general practice including a focus on criminal defence law, and family law. He held appointments as lawyer for the child and as a youth advocate. Richard is a member of the Criminal, Membership, and Access to Justice Committees.

TIHO MIJATOV (Wellington)

Tiho is a barrister at Stout Street Chambers, Wellington. His particular expertise and interest is in providing public law advice and advocacy. Before joining chambers, Tiho was a judge’s clerk at the Court of Appeal, where he gained wide experience in civil and criminal law. Tiho has worked on several initiatives, including submissions for the NZBA as intervener in the Court of Appeal, access to justice and media initiatives, and law reform submissions. He is on the NZBA’s Law Reform, Membership and Practice and Bar Care Committees.

DAVID O’NEILL Treasurer, Vice President (Waikato/Bay of Plenty)

David practices out of Riverbank Chambers in Hamilton and is one of two Waikato/Bay of Plenty representatives on Council. His practice involves civil and commercial litigation. He has been on Council since 2012 and became treasurer, secretary and vice-president of the Bar Council in 2015. During that time, he has served five presidents on Council and has sat on several Council Committees. One of his main areas of focus is the financial well-being of the organisation and improving member benefit offerings. These benefits now number well over 50 and include the very successful LexisNexis e-Library partnership. David is editor of “At the Bar” and he writes the regular motoring column “Petrolhead's Corner”. Outside of the law, he is involved in motor racing and playing golf (badly), skis occasionally (also badly) and other hedonistic pursuits.

JAMES RAPLEY QC (Canterbury)

JAMES RAPLEY QC (Canterbury) James Rapley has practised at the independent bar since 2004. He specialises in criminal defence litigation and has appeared in numerous high-profile trials, and regularly appears in the Court of Appeal. He is the Deputy Chair of our Training Committee and the criminal stream Course Director for the NZBA’s Mastering Advocacy Programme. Since 2003, he has taught Trial Advocacy at the University of Canterbury. James has also taught Trial Advocacy overseas at the University of South Pacific, Vanuatu, for PILON in Samoa and for the ABA in Sydney and Melbourne.

SETAREH STIENSTRA (Auckland)

Setareh is a barrister and founder of Public Law Chambers with expertise in public and administrative law, property, and resource management. She was a senior practitioner at both Kensington Swan and Simpson Grierson, prior to being called to the Independent Bar in 2014. Setareh was elected to the Council of the NZBA last year and was appointed the Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, having served on it since 2017. She served on the Law Reform Committee focussing on access to justice. She is also on the Executive of the NZLS Property Law Section and the ADLS Environment and Local Government Committee. In her spare time, she is an adventure racer and kid wrangler.

ANNE TOOHEY (Canterbury) Vice President

Anne is a barrister at Canterbury Chambers in Christchurch and has a general practice in civil, employment and criminal litigation. Prior to joining the independent bar, she worked as a civil and criminal litigator in Wellington and Christchurch. She was a Crown prosecutor and Crown counsel. Anne has been an advocacy trainer for the NZ Police and for PILON (Pacific Island Law Officer Network) for over 10 years, and has co-written a text book on advocacy. She was a member of the Council last year and is keen to continue to work hard to promote the interests of NZBA members. Anne is a member of our Annual Conference, Criminal, Membership Management and Training Committees.

ESTHER WATT Vice President (Wellington)

Esther is a barrister at Stout Street Chambers. While her practice is focussed on commercial litigation and public law, Esther has broad experience, which includes regulatory, criminal, and relationship property proceedings. Esther joined the bar in 2017 after working at major firms in Wellington and London, at the Crown Law Office, and as a Judges’ Clerk in the Court of Appeal. Now in her third term on the NZBA Council, Esther co-chairs the Annual Conference Committee and serves on the NZBA Law Reform Committee. She appeared with James Rapley QC on behalf of the NZBA and NZLS as interveners in Zhang v R [2019] NZCA 507, [2019] 3 NZLR 648 (Court of Appeal).