The Latest KC Cohort Displays A Range of Legal Expertise
The latest round of KCs to join the silk ranks include two former Lawyers of the Year, Cassie Nicholson and Tiana Epati. The 12 new Kings’ Counsel were selected from 107 applicants Attorney General apart from Chief Parliamentary Counsel Cassie Nicholson who is not a barrister sole.
The headliner trio
Cassie Nicholson KC
The Attorney General has used the exceptional contribution route to appoint the country’s Chief Parliamentary Counsel. LawFuel Lawyer of the Year 2021, Cassie Nicholson runs the Parliamentary Counsel Office and has spent years turning policy into law that actually parses. Victoria alum. LSE LLM. Deputy Chief before taking the top job in 2021. The appointment acknowledges legislative craft at the highest level, rather than courtroom pyrotechnics.
Brian Dickey KC
Former Auckland Crown Solicitor, first Māori in that role, and one of the most experienced prosecutors of serious crime in the country. Now at Bankside, he has switched gears to lead Crown negotiations with Ngāpuhi hapū and Hauraki iwi which suggests the Crown prefers closers when the stakes are political and historical.
Tiana Epati KC
Former NZ Law Society president and a LawFuel Lawyer of the Year in 2019. Serious criminal and regulatory work with a specialist appellate bent, now at Bankside. An influential voice for the profession who actually tries cases.
The rest of the class
Kevin Glover KC
Your go to when brands, code, and content collide. IP litigator specialising in commercial disputes but with a strong emphasis on IT issues, he’s at Shortland with published authority status and domain name expertise. Chambers ranked. Ex Cambridge LLM. Expect him in anything from urgent injunctions to registrability fights.
Katie Hogan KC
Heavy criminal trial experience with a speciality in the criminal proceeds jurisdiction. City Chambers. Has advised Pacific governments. Presents on proceeds of crime and related matters.
Sarah Jerebine KC
Public law and complex civil. Crown Law pedigree and now Bankside. Chambers ranked. NZBA council service. A safe pair of hands who will not waste a judge’s time.
Paul Keegan KC
Criminal jury trials and appeals. Built Marsland Chambers in New Plymouth and still does the hard yards in legal aid governance and auditing. A litigator with grass roots credibility with silk level polish.
Simon Ladd KC
Commercial and regulatory litigator. Competition, financial markets, insurance, construction. Chicago Law LLM, Freshfelds and prior to the bar he was a Bell Gully partner, now Shortland Chambers. Clients hire him to keep regulators honest and counterparties nervous. Also a Director of Research of the Legal Research Foundation.
Richard Marchant KC
Criminal specialist. Ex Meredith Connell partner who built Regent Chambers and now with Acacia. Parole Board convenor and former Transport Accident Investigation Commissioner. Knows the prosecution ledger inside out.
Balthazar (‘Bal’) Matheson KC
Resource management lifer. Ex Russell McVeagh partner, now Richmond Chambers. Contributes to the leading RMA text and donates serious time to community and environmental causes. The person councils and corporates call when the diggers and the objectors are both on site at 7am.
Matthew Smith KC
Public law specialist and the author of the New Zealand Judicial Review Handbook. Thorndon Chambers. If your problem is an unlawful process rather than a bad outcome, he is your fix.
Alan Webb KC
Quay Chambers. Specialist in resource management, local government and public works. Chairs expert consenting panels and lives in the fine print that ruins many a development timetable.
Why this KC list matters
Collins’ round sends two messages. First that courtroom excellence still rules the roost. Second that legislative architecture and specialist domains like resource management and IP are now central to how the country functions, and they deserve silk level advocacy. Also notable is the spread beyond the usual Auckland Wellington gravitational pull, and tangible service to access to justice across the cohort.
