We are known for the depth and breadth of our litigation practice and our strong advocacy skills. In 2023, Bell Gully was awarded Benchmark Litigation's New Zealand Litigation Firm of the Year for the third time. Global legal directories, Chambers Asia Pacific, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific rank us in the top tier and Band 1 for dispute resolution and litigation.
Our expertise
Our team has significant expertise and experience in dealing with complex and contentious disputes in a wide range of commercial and public fields, including:
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We have extensive experience acting in trials and on appeal at all levels of the New Zealand court system. We also regularly represent clients in arbitrations, mediations and other forms of dispute resolution.
In addition, we have substantial experience and expertise representing clients in regulatory investigations and proceedings, criminal proceedings, commissions and inquiries, including matters involving:
- Commerce Commission
- Financial Markets Authority
- Serious Fraud Office
- WorkSafe
- Labour Inspectorate
- Commissions of Inquiry
Work highlights
Class actions
Acting as defence counsel in a number of large class actions, including representing ANZ Bank in the largest class action in New Zealand to date (by number of claimants), acting for AWN Holdings Limited in a large securities class action regarding the NZ$175 million IPO of listed education company, Intueri Education Group, and representing 3A Composites, the primary defendant in a proposed building products class action.
Novel climate change claims
Acting for a client in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in defending a climate change claim involving novel private law duties of care and public nuisance.
Fire at New Zealand International Convention Centre
We are acting for a client in relation to one of the most significant insurance events in recent years – the fire at the New Zealand International Convention Centre, and related construction claims.
Judicial review of Auckland Council's accommodation rate
Acted for commercial accommodation providers in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in respect of an application for judicial review of a decision by the Auckland Council to impose a targeted rate, specifically on accommodation providers, to fund 50% the Council's Tourism Promotion and Major Events budget.
Relativity mechanism litigation
Acting for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu on the obligations arising under the relativity mechanism provisions which are contained in their 1997 Deed of Settlement with the Crown.
Judicial review of Crown entities
Acted for Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities in judicial review proceedings following on from the Supreme Court's decision that the Crown owed fiduciary duties to original customary owners of land.
Overseas Investment Review
Acted for a property developer in relation to a judicial review brought by another property development company. The review challenged the government decision to grant consent for our client’s land purchase under the Overseas Investment Act. Our client was successful in both the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Breach of warranty claim
Acted for Arvida AL Holdings in a significant breach of warranty dispute against Lendlease, the vendor of five retirement villages in Auckland, arising from significant weathertightness issues at three of the villages.
Receivership claims against Calibre Partners
Acting for Calibre Partners, the former receivers of the parent company of the Villa Maria Estate, one of the largest wineries in New Zealand, defending claims brought by Villa Maria’s previous owner.
Air NZ – flight ban litigation
Acting for Air New Zealand in proceedings brought by a passenger who was banned from travelling with Air New Zealand for 12 months following her interactions with Air New Zealand ground staff. We were successful in defending a High Court injunction claim and successful in defending the claims at a subsequent trial. We are continuing to act on the appeal which is set to be heard by the Court of Appeal in early 2024.
Independent recognition of our expertise
The strength of our team is recognised by all of the leading legal directories:
- Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Awards 2024: New Zealand Litigation Firm of the Year
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024: Tier 1 (top tier) for Litigation
- Chambers Asia Pacific 2024: Band 1 (top band) for Litigation
The litigation team also received awards for Impact Case of the Year at the International Tax Review 2023, the asialaw Awards 2020 and the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Awards in both 2022 and 2021.
The head of our litigation team, Sophie East, was named New Zealand Lawyer of the Year at the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2024 Awards. Sophie East was also named in Benchmark Litigation's Top 100 Women in Litigation 2020 for the Asia-Pacific region. For the third consecutive year in 2023 Rachael Brown has been named one of the NZ Lawyer's Elite Women, with Liz Coats and Sophie East also being recognised in 2022. Our other litigation partners are also highly ranked across the recognised directories, including The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Chambers Asia Pacific, Best Lawyers and Doyles Guide.
