We are delighted to welcome Andrew Skinner to the
partnership. Andrew is an experienced commercial lawyer with
specialist industry experience in building and construction and
franchising.
By Melissa Higham - 4 Feb 2020
read article 
Appointing testamentary guardians
A difficult decision parents of younger children have to
make when making a Will is deciding who should be appointed as
guardians of their children. Inclusion of an appointment of a
guardian should be considered whenever a Will is made by a person
with children who are under the age of 18.
By Emma Foster - 22 Jan 2020
read article 
We're pleased to be the contributor for the New Zealand chapter
in the 2nd edition of "A Global Roadmap to Personal Data
Protection". Proudly put together by Meritas Law Firms Worldwide.
Download your complimentary copy here: https://www.meritas.org/DataProtectionGuide.aspx
By Mike Worsnop - 18 Nov 2019
read article 
The recent Court of Appeal decision in Guest v
Guest [2019] NZCA 64 stands as a reminder to trustees
that if they do not act reasonably, then they may be exposing
themselves to a significant costs liability.
By Terri Gough - 10 Nov 2019
read article 
The Disputes Tribunal has just increased the financial
threshold for submitting a claim to $30,000. Until 29 October 2019,
a party could only file a claim up to a maximum of $15,000 (or
$20,000 with both parties' agreement). At this low sum it meant
that parties who wanted to pursue claims slightly over $15,000
faced the prospect of either writing off a portion of the debt to
pursue their claim in the Tribunal, or abandoning it all
together.
By Pierce Bedogni - 1 Nov 2019
read article 
Family demographics have changed significantly over the
past 60 years. To keep up, the Property (Relationships) Act
1976 (PRA) was amended in 2002 to extend the property sharing to
heterosexual and homosexual de facto and civil union
partners.
By Dharsh Nanayakkara - 26 Sep 2019
read article 
The role of an attorney appointed under an EPA for
property is a significant one which should be taken seriously and
should not be accepted lightly. Accepting such an appointment
creates legal obligations and duties which cannot easily be
changed. This blog seeks to provide some guidance to a person
acting as a property attorney.
By Emma Foster - 17 Sep 2019
read article 
You've got your deposit, you've found the right property, now a
multi-page document is sitting in front of you and a real estate
agent is asking you to sign. It is imperative that you get in touch
with a lawyer before you enter into an agreement. The best chance
of you negotiating favourable terms is before you
sign. This is even more important if you are planning on buying a
property "off the plans" that has not yet been subdivided or built.
More information about buying off the plans is available in a
previous blog.
By - 10 Sep 2019
read article 
In 2015 the Court of Appeal told landlords they could not
recover the cost of damage caused by their residential tenants
unless it was done intentionally. This was because the Property Law
Act 2007 said that a landlord could not require a tenant to meet
the cost of damage which can be insured against. From 27
August 2019 the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 dictates the law on
this issue.
By Mathew Martin - 28 Aug 2019
read article 90x120.jpg)
The Property (Relationships) Act 1976 determines what is
and is not "relationship property" and which assets should be
divided equally between de facto partners and spouses on
separation. It also defines "separate property" as assets owned by
one partner alone and not to be shared equally. But in a country
with the highest number of trusts per capita in the world, what
happens if your assets are held in trust?
By Telise Kelly - 18 Aug 2019
read article