Russell McVeagh

New Zealand's premier law firm

Work

Litigation

The firm's litigators are leaders in their field, with a broad range of experience and significant expertise in resolving complex commercial disputes. Our focus is achieving the commercial objectives of our clients - from minimising risk at the outset of a transaction through to hard-nosed litigation.

Our advocates have extensive experience in appearing before the courts (at all levels), appearing in arbitrations and mediations, assisting with negotiation, and consultation with Parliament.

Being part of a leading commercial law firm the Litigation Team can call on the expertise and experience of the wider firm in a range of practice areas, where necessary. The type of work the team has been involved in includes:

  • advisory work at the outset of a transaction, in conjunction with the firm's transactional lawyers.
  • all forms of complex commercial and contract dispute resolution, including in relation to mergers and acquisitions, trade practices, competition, shareholder disputes, breach of director's duties, intellectual property, securities law, taxation, finance, shipping, insolvency, fair trading, media law, employment, equity, commercial property and share trading.
  • administrative law (for and against Government and statutory authorities).
  • particular sector interests and expertise including Dairy, Telecommunications, Finance, Energy, Transport, Food and Beverage, Insurance, and Commercial Property.
  • Commerce Act and Securities Act proceedings and prosecutions.

Recent examples of the Litigation Team's work include representing:

  • Fonterra on a wide range of commercial matters including significant contract, companies, securities, and regulatory disputes.
  • Todd Energy Limited in relation to a significant Commerce Act claim.
  • New Zealand's leading insider trading case, arising out of the takeover of Southern Petroleum by Fletcher Challenge.
  • Auckland International Airport Ltd, in major court proceedings under the Public Works Act.
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers, in connection with the receivership of one of the Capital + Merchant group companies
  • A leading retail bank in complex tax litigation relating to structured finance arrangements.
  • Hancock Natural Resource Group Inc in relation to Maori Land Court proceedings concerning the sale of Carter Holt Harvey Limited's forestry interests to Hancock.
  • Baycorp Advantage in relation to a claim for several million dollars by the receivers of Provincial Finance.
  • Fay in Chirnside v Fay, a Supreme Court decision concerning fiduciary obligations between commercial joint venturers.
  • Westpac Banking Corporation in relation to a Commerce Commission prosecution over setting of credit card interchange fees.
  • We act for a range of major corporates in defence of regulatory prosecutions, including for example, Telecom/Xtra against the Commerce Commission.
All Work Areas