Mr Tom Pasley > Robertsons > Auckland, New Zealand > Lawyer Profile

Robertsons
LEVEL 2, GENERAL BUILDING
33 SHORTLAND STREET
AUCKLAND 1010
New Zealand

Position

Partner

Career

Tom is a partner at Robertsons and is an experienced commercial and civil litigator who is regularly involved in the resolution of disputes through litigation, arbitration, mediation, and negotiation.

He acts for private clients, insurers, and insureds and provides sound judgement and strategic advice on challenging legal matters.

Tom’s practice focuses on contractual disputes, company and securities law, insurance, insolvency, banking and finance, professional negligence, trust disputes, regulatory litigation and investigations, and property disputes. Tom has also acted for clients in several of New Zealand’s largest class actions and is experienced working on large and complex multi-party disputes.

In 2011, Tom graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) (University of Auckland), was admitted to the Bar, and joined Bell Gully’s litigation department where he practised for five years. During his time at Bell Gully, Tom completed a Master of Laws (Hons) (Commercial Law). He then worked as a junior barrister at Bankside Chambers before moving to become a founding partner in a specialist commercial litigation practice and practising at a specialist insurance litigation firm.

Reflecting Tom’s legal interests and subject expertise, since 2019 he has been a committee member of the New Zealand Law Society’s Commercial and Business Law Reform Committee and an editorial board member for the Company and Securities Law Bulletin (LexisNexis). Tom is widely published and is a contributing author to a number of leading New Zealand legal texts: Morison’s on Company Law (LexisNexis) – The Office of Director/Directors’ Powers and Duties; Accounts, Audits and Financial Reporting; Registrar of Companies; Financial Markets Conduct (2021 – present); Sim’s Court Practice (LexisNexis) – High Court Rules 2016, Parts 15 – Disposal Other Than by Trial and 16 – Accounts and Inquiries (2021 – present); and Commercial Law (LexisNexis) – Partnership (2022 – present).

Tom is a graduate of the Australian Bar Association Advanced Trial Advocacy program (2017). He has represented the New Zealand Law Society as a barrister sole intervenor on criminal law reform matters.

In 2022, Tom was named a ‘Rising Star’ in litigation by NZ Lawyer magazine.

Languages

English

Lawyer Rankings

New Zealand > Insurance

Founding partners Michael Robertson and Helen Twomey at Robertsons are well regarded, highlighted by one client as ‘happy to look for outside-the-box solutions’. The team expanded with the addition of commercial and civil litigator Tom Pasley from Fee Langstone in January 2023. As one of a handful of New Zealand’s specialist insurance law practices, the team is noted for its capabilities in defending property damage and construction claims and for its ‘strong experience with policy wording drafting’, while also remaining active in professional liability and general liability cases.