General Background
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.
In the last three years she has appeared as counsel in four Supreme Court cases (one as lead counsel) and six Court of Appeal cases (two as lead or sole counsel). She has acted in large scale commercial disputes in the High Court, and in private domestic and international arbitration.
Jane has a passion for running and has competed in numerous marathons and half-marathons. She is kept grounded by her pre-teen daughters who constantly remind her that they are above the law.
Selected Recent Cases
Recent experience has included:
- Acting on/appearing in an international arbitration in Singapore between multi-national parties relating to contract, tort and trade practices claims
- Acting as counsel in the Supreme Court relating to personal liability of receivers for body corporate levies in Gilbert v Body Corporate 162791 [2016] NZSC 61
- Acting as counsel for minority shareholders in commercial litigation in the High Court, Court of Appeal and in a related arbitration
- 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
- Appearing as counsel in a complex eight week intellectual property trial and subsequent appeal led by Alan Galbraith QC
- Acting as 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 complex relationship and trust property disputes.
Professional Activities
- 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).
Case History
Listed below is a selection of the cases Jane has been instructed on over the last five years as sole/leading or junior counsel:
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).