New Zealand Law News

Bell Gully Bought Harvey Firm-Wide. The Supreme Court Just Made That Look Prescient

Bell Gully, Legal AI, New Zealand Law News, New Zealand Law News /
Supremecourtwarning AI

In Jones v Family Court at Whangārei [2026] NZSC 1, the Supreme Court used a published judgment to call out a litigant for citing case law that an AI application had invented. Meanwhile, Bell Gully had become the first large New Zealand firm to roll out Harvey AI to its entire 200-plus lawyer team.

What the Supreme Court Said

Justices Ellen France, Stephen Kós and Forrest Miller dismissed Mr Jones’s leave application after identifying that submissions cited several authorities that “appear to have been hallucinated by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) application”.

Specific examples included “Teddy v Police [2015] NZSC 62” and “Baird v R [2013] NZSC 120” — real case names combined with incorrect citations, while four genuine cases were misused to support propositions they did not stand for.
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Father and Son Law Partners Fined for ‘Grave’ Client Conflicts in Palmerston North

New Zealand Law News, Press Releases /
Robmoore

A father-and-son legal partnership in Palmerston North has been censured and fined by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal after serious failures to manage client conflicts of interest in a residential property transaction. Richard Lyell Moore, an experienced practitioner with a previously unblemished 55-year record, and his son Robert Joseph Moore, (pictured) both partners in

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Why Law Firms Feel Busier Than Ever, But Still Lack Pipeline Confidence

Law Firm Management, Marketing, New Zealand Law News, New Zealand Law News /
Contentmarketing

Ben Paul, CEO, The BD Ladder The majority of law firms would not doubt describe the last few years as busy. Work has been consistent. Matters continue to come in. Teams are operating at or near capacity. On the surface, things look healthy. Yet when I speak to partners and firm leaders, a different picture

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Ex-Rugby Hardman Ngarimu Simpkins Joins the Family Firm

Lawyers, New Zealand Law News, New Zealand Law News /
Simpkins

Ngarimu Simpkins’ Redemption Story and New Legal Mission Rotorua’s Ngarimu Simpkins has traded the bruising collisions of professional rugby for the sharper contest of the courtroom and he’s bringing a hard-won perspective that few new admits can match. The 46-year-old was admitted to the bar just last month after completing his law degree. He has

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NZ Law – New Senior Appointments at Bell Gully

New Zealand Law News, Press Releases /

PartnerTorrin CrowtherAuckland We are pleased to announce the appointment of four experienced senior lawyers across our projects and real estate, litigation and corporate M&A practices: Mark Gillard, Alice Kenny, Fred Kelly and Oliver Feslier Holmes. “Our senior appointments strengthen our capability in New Zealand and reinforce our commitment to delivering high-quality, exceptional service to our clients. We are excited to

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Knights, KCs and Cold Cases – What This Year’s Honours Say About NZ Law

Lawyers, New Zealand Law News, New Zealand Law News /
Peterboshier

This year’s honours quietly confirm who really sets the rules in New Zealand – and it’s not just the judges in red robes New Zealand’s King’s Birthday Honours list has once again proved a useful, acid test for what the establishment thinks “the law” is really for – and this year, the answer is: constitutional

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Another Meredith Connell Exit As Jacob Barry Joins Boutique Litigation Bench

New Zealand Law News, NZ Power Law Firms, Press Releases /
Jacobbarry

Jacob Barry is the latest senior litigator to depart Meredith Connell, adding further weight to the ongoing questions around the Crown Solicitor firm’s ability to retain top-tier talent, or whether the move signals a strategic slimming of the firm. Now joining Lindsay Francis & Mangan’s Auckland office as a partner, Barry brings a well-established reputation

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NZ Law News – Bar Association warns of growing risks to rule of law 

New Zealand Law News, New Zealand Law News, Press Releases /
Pauldavid

The New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o te Ture is urging the Government to  reconsider proposed legislation by taking a broader view of long-term effects of making such  retrospective laws.   >> NZ Law Jobs here The Government has said that it intends to introduce legislation to prevent the courts from deciding  claims

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Crown Jewel or Holding Pattern? The Meredith Connell Question Won’t Go Away

Law Firms, New Zealand Law News, New Zealand Law News /
Meredithconnell lawfuel

Three more senior litigators have walked from MC to Richmond Chambers. The pattern is now too consistent to be coincidence – and it sharpens a question the firm still hasn’t answered: is the Crown warrant a launchpad, or a liferaft? John Bowie Meredith Connell, New Zealand’s oldest Crown Solicitor’s office and, by its own count,

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