Jonathan Woodhams is nominally the Executive Director of litigation funder LPF Group, but his power lies more in his position helping to select and direct some of the most significant, civil litigation in New Zealand. Working closely with a high powered board at the Funder, including former Supreme Court Justice Bill Wilson QC, fellow director […]
Running the largest criminal defence organisation in the country provides Peter Hutchinson with an influence that can hardly be understated. Appointed to his role as Director of the Public Defence Service in December 2017, he has 20 years’ experience as a barrister behind him, as well as working for the PDS since 2010. The PDS
Litigation is a tough game, but a steady stream of young litigators are making their mark on the legal scene, working in civil and criminal courts and steadily building their reputations. We have some of the up-and-comers here. Kerry Cook – The Defender Kerry Cook took the relatively rare route directly to the independent Bar,
Rebecca Kitteridge came to the NZSIS after six years as Secretary of the Cabinet and Clerk of the Executive Council, within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and following her expert appraisal of the failings of the GCSB in 2013 and following the much-maligned raid on Kim Dotcom’s mansion. Having served under four Prime Ministers
Mai Chen’s ubiquitous hyper-energetic performance across legal, commercial, academic and political platforms continued during 2018, although her ranking has slipped somewhat. Running her Beltway-style public law firm handling public policy and legislative issues, she has continued to help set the agenda for legal and legislative thinking as well as regularly writing or commenting upon legal
Sir David Williams QC, former jurist and New Zealand’s leading arbitrator retains one of the busiest arbitration practices in New Zealand, ruling on some of the most complex and high value arbitrations in the world where he has been involved either as counsel or arbitrator in over 130 international arbitrations. His work involving oil and
IRD legal boss Martin Smith has one of the most influential and largest in-house legal teams in the country under his management. Formerly a tax consulting partner in a major accounting practice in Sydney and Director of Taxation Research for Ernst & Young in New Zealand, he has degrees from Adelaide University and a Masters
Robert Fisher QC is regarded as one of the key ‘go to’ mediators by many in the corporate world and has achieved a high profile with his various assignments and writings on evidential, arbitration and related issues. A former High Court judge, having retired from the bench in 2004, he has applied himself fulltime to his arbitration and
Brian Dickey’s role as Auckland Crown Prosecutor has been strong, but the role has lacked the power it once possessed with the Crown Law cutbacks and the split of the Auckland role with the appointment of South Auckland prosecutor Natalie Walker to handle much of the criminal work. Nevertheless, the role as chief prosecutor in
