LLB (Hons) (Cant)

BCL (Oxon) (First Class)

Year Admitted: 1991

Barrister Sole: 1998

Silk:  2016

Jane provides direct and pragmatic advice to individual and corporate clients across a wide range of practice areas. She is experienced in litigation of all sizes and at all Court levels, primarily in commercial, corporate, insurance, contract, regulatory, trust and property matters.

She has acted on large scale commercial disputes and in private domestic and international arbitration. She accepts appointment as an Arbitrator.

Jane has a passion for running and has competed in numerous marathons and half-marathons. She is kept grounded by her teenage daughters who constantly remind her that they are above the law.

Recent experience has included:

• Appointment as Arbitrator on a multi-party property dispute
• Appointment as Amicus Curiae in proceedings relating to the Utilities Commissioner’s jurisdiction
• Counsel in a domestic commercial arbitration relating to an irrigation scheme
• Acting on/appearing in an international arbitration in Singapore between multi-national parties relating to contract, tort and trade practices claims
• Counsel in the Supreme Court relating to personal liability of receivers for body corporate levies in Gilbert v Body Corporate 162791 [2016] NZSC 61
• Counsel for minority shareholders in commercial litigation in the High Court, Court of Appeal and in a related arbitration
• Acting for an export company in a distributorship dispute (settled at mediation)
• Acting in proceedings for removal of a trustee
• Appearing as junior counsel in the Supreme Court in Fenwick v Naera [2015] NZSC, Allied Concrete Ltd v Meltzer (2015) 13 TCLR 833 and BFSL 2007 Ltd v Steigrad [2014] 1 NZLR 304
• Counsel in a complex eight week intellectual property trial and subsequent appeal led by Alan Galbraith QC
• Counsel in arbitration proceedings arising out of the HIH insurance collapse
• Acting in Financial Markets Authority matters and investigations relating to insider trading and finance company prosecutions/civil proceedings
• Acting in several complex relationship and trust property disputes
• Advice and opinions on contract and lease issues

Listed below is a selection of recent cases Jane has been instructed on:

Supreme Court

• Gilbert v Body Corporate 162791 [2016] NZSC 61  (receivership/body corporate issues)
• Fenwick v Naera [2015] NZSC 68 (trust law/ Maori Trusts)
• Allied Concrete Ltd v Meltzer [2015] 13 TCLR 833 (voidable preferences)
• BFSL 2007 Ltd v Steigrad [2014] 1 NZLR 304 (insurance)

Court of Appeal

• Body Corporate 162791 v Gilbert [2015] 3 NZLR 601 (receivership/body corporate issues)
• Karum Group LLC v Fisher & Paykel Financial Services Ltd [2014] 3 NZLR 421 (intellectual property)
• Sturgess v Dunphy [2014] NZCA 266 (complex shareholder dispute concerning a leading oil and gas producer)
• Grant v CP Asset Management Ltd [2014] NZCCLR 5 (setting aside a creditors' resolution)
• Farrell v Fences & Kerbs Ltd [2013] 3 NZLR 82 (voidable preferences)
• Steigrad v BFSL 2007 Ltd [2013] 2 NZLR 100 (insurance coverage for defence costs)
• Mandic & Anor v Cornwall Trust Board (Inc) [2010] 12 NZCPR 34 (leasehold land)
• R v Steigrad [2011] 10 NZCLC 264,862 (Securities Act interpretation).

High Court

• TSB Bank Ltd v Dollimore [2015] NZHC 3175 (insolvency - re setting aside a disposition)
• Zhong Mao Investment Management Ltd v Oak Tree Motel Ltd [2015] NZHC 2525 (relief against forfeiture)
• Financial Markets Authority v Hotchin [2014] NZHC 2732 (discovery issues)
• Chandra v Prasad [2014] NZHC 1509 (relief against forfeiture)
• Re Acorn Foundation Trust [2014] NZHC 155 (access to trust documents)
• TSB Bank Ltd v Wheldale [2014] NZHC 52 (summary judgment)
• Greymouth Holdings Ltd v Jet Trustees Ltd [2013] NZHC 1013 (complex shareholder dispute)
• Fisher & Paykel Financial Services Ltd (No 4) v Karum Group LLC [2013] 2 NZLR 255 (intellectual property)
• R v Petricevic [2012] NZCCLR 7 (finance company director prosecution).

• Solicitor/Senior Associate at Rudd Watts & Stone (Auckland) 1991-1998
• Part-time lecturer at Auckland University in Intellectual Property in 1998, 2000 and 2001
• Co-Author of 2-monthly "Transactions" commentary section of the New Zealand Law Journal 1999-2002
• Recipient of Cleary Memorial Prize (1994) and Spencer Mason Travelling Scholarship in Law (1994)
• Recipient of Canterbury University Gold Medal in Law (1990).
• Presenter at NZLS Seminar – What to Do When the Contract Goes Wrong (2017)
• Presenter ADLS seminar - Expert Evidence (2017)
• Panel member in AMINZ Arbitration Day (2017)
• Presenter at Legalwise seminar  - Expert Evidence (2015)