MinterEllisonRuddWatts boasts expertise in representing defendants against regulatory bodies, including the Financial Markets Authority, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and the Commerce Commission. The firm’s expertise includes representing clients in disputes surrounding banking and finance, regulatory investigations, insurance, consumer protection, and white-collar crime. Practice head Richard Gordon specialises in contract law disputes. Within the wider team, Stacey Shortall specialises in regulatory investigations and criminal prosecutions, and Andrew Horne brings insight into financial services, insurance, and technology matters. Jane Standage is well-versed in arbitration cases, Nick Frith advises on insolvency issues, and Olivia De Pont is also a noted member of the team.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘Exceptional litigation team, particularly in Auckland. I have yet to come across a group of people led by a partner where there is such an exceptional work ethic.’
‘Andrew Horne is an extremely capable and thorough solicitor. He has an extremely good knowledge of commercial law, and computer contracts in particular. More than that, he is an exceptional partner who delegates well, is easy for staff to approach to discuss matters and is a very competent advocate in his own right.’
‘Nick Frith is a thoroughly nice guy. But he is driven and drives for the best to be the best. He is genuine and committed.’
‘A top notch team. Highly responsive and very commercial. They are very good at telling clients what they need to know clearly and succinctly. Other firms continue to write long, technical opinions which are less helpful for busy clients.’
‘Jane Standage and Aaron Lloyd are exceptional. Highly intelligent and very strategic. Andrew Horne is also a leader in his field of insolvency and insurance respectively.’
‘Exceptional advice and very practical allowing a cut through of issues to get to the core points. The team collaborate very well with external Counsel and provide a seamless experience.’
‘Strong understanding of our position and history on any dispute matter, while consistently clear on approach, possibilities and realistic outcome. Terrific at summarizing complicated narratives and seeing the wider issues at play for us as a client.’
‘Richard Gordon is a quality provider of services in this area and able to guide us through the process efficiently. Tremendous understanding of our requirements and aims in any dispute and really impressive at writing narratives that highlight our approach.’

Key clients

Bathurst Resources Limited
Booster Financial Services Group
Channel Infrastructure NZ Limited
Dassault Systèmes Australia Pty Ltd
MacLab (NZ) Limited
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Spark Group
Tegel Group
viagogo AG
Z Energy Group

Work highlights

Acted for Dassault Systèmes, a multinational software solutions provider, in a complex, multijurisdictional dispute following the cancellation of a major IT project for the New Zealand Department of Corrections.
Acted for Bathurst and Buller in a landmark case, successfully overturning a USD$40m "Performance Payment" judgment in the Supreme Court.
Acted for BT Mining and Channel in New Zealand's first-ever climate change tort proceedings, brought by a climate activist seeking to hold companies accountable for greenhouse gas emissions.

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