BA.LLB (Hons) (Auck) (1989)

LLM (U.Va) (1992)

Year Admitted: 1989

Barrister Sole: 2015

Silk: 2017

Adam practises in civil, corporate, and commercial law (including insurance), and regulatory crime (securities, corporate, trade practices, environmental).

Adam attended Auckland Grammar School and thereafter the University of Auckland, where he completed his degree in 1988. Adam then worked as a judges' clerk in the High Court at Auckland, before joining the litigation department of Kensington Swan in 1991. He completed a master's degree at the University of Virginia in 1992, and returned to Kensington Swan where he appeared - both with senior advocates and alone - in numerous courts and tribunals throughout the country.

Adam joined Chapman Tripp's litigation department as a partner in 1996, where he worked for the next 18 years on cases great and small, and on corporate/commercial advisory matters. For some years Adam has been recognised by Chambers & Partners as a "Band 1" lawyer in litigation and dispute resolution, and in insurance. Adam commenced practice as a barrister sole at Shortland Chambers in March 2015.

Relevant professional and community activities, prizes

• Senior Law prize, Fowlds Memorial Prize, Kensington Swan Scholarship, Finalist - Stout Shield mooting competition, Finalist - NZ Universities mooting competition, Case Notes Editor - Auckland University Law Review
• Fulbright and Rotary scholarships
• University of Virginia School of Law Fellowship
• Cleary Memorial Prize
• Council member, Legal Research Foundation 1995 - 2005
• Faculty member on occasion, New Zealand Law Society Litigation Skills Course
• Presenter, Auckland District Law Society seminar, Civil Litigation in Practice (2007)
• Presenter, CCMAU / Massey University seminars for new government-appointed directors to crown entities and other public organisations, on corporate governance (2007, 2008)
• Presenter, Health and Disability Commissioner's Medico-Legal Conference, Judicial review in the health sector (2009)
• Member of advisory board, Auckland University Law Review (2006 - present) and inaugural speaker at AULR Symposium (2010)
• Presenter, Institute of Directors' Company Chairmen's Workshop, Taupo, with Sean Hughes of the FMA, Criminal liability of directors (2012)
• Member of advisory board, Centre for Human Rights Law, University of Auckland School of Law (2012 - present)
• Presenter, New Zealand Law Society Intensive on Personal Liability for Commercial Dealings, with Jenny Cooper (2013)
• Presenter, advanced writing course for University of Auckland honours law students (2008 - 2013)
• Presenter and panellist, Institute of Directors' Leadership Conference 2013, Health and safety reforms and the implications for directors (2014)
• Trustee, New Zealand Opera Foundation (2004 - present)

Adam has been engaged on various arbitrations, mediations and regulatory investigations, such as:

• Acting on an international arbitration between multinationals on a product liability / trade practices claim
• Acting for a bank in a Commerce Commission investigation into marketing of interest rate swaps to agri-business customers
• Representing global insurer on reinsurance arbitrations and loss adjusting disputes resulting from the Christchurch earthquakes
• Acting for finance company directors and officers in Financial Markets Authority and Serious Fraud Office investigations into collapses, and in prosecutions/civil proceedings arising therefrom
• Representing witnesses involved in a Financial Markets Authority investigation into suspected market manipulation
• Acting for a major bank in a Commerce Commission investigation into foreign exchange commissions on credit cards
• Representing directors and officers in an insider trading investigation and proceeding brought by the Securities Commission
• Resolving and defending regulatory complaints and prosecutions (environmental damage, trade practices breaches, securities breaches, professional misconduct - eg doctors, nurses, psychologists, teachers).

• Ministry of Primary Industries v Fonterra Ltd [2014] DCR 279 (dairy regulation)
• Van der Noll v Sovereign Assurance Co Ltd [2013] NZHC 3051 (disability insurance)
• Kent v Glenn [2013] NZHC 355 (company law, takeovers, interim injunction)
• Pilkington v Fidelity Life Assurance Co Ltd [2012] NZHC 3170 (disability insurance, interim injunction)
• RAM Custodian Ltd & Ors v Raymond and Ors [2012] NZHC 3438 (trusts, wills, civil procedure)
• Tiroa E and Te Hape B Trusts v Chief Executive of Land Information [2012] NZHC 147 (judicial review, overseas investment in farmland)
• Great Northern Land Co Ltd v Daji [2011] NZHC 9 (contract, vendor and purchaser, trade practices)
• Luscombe and Ors v O'Sullivan and Ors [2011] NZHC 1852 (contract, tort, equity, trade practices, directors' liability, insurance)
• Stubbs v Health and Disability Commissioner (HC WN CIV 2009-485-2146, 8/2/10 (medico-legal, judicial review, name suppression)
• Hall v FP North Ltd (in liq) and Anor [2009] NZHC 591 (insurance, professional indemnity, directors' liability, civil procedure)
• Lab Tests Auckland v Auckland District Health Board and Ors [2007] 2 NZLR 832 (HC), [2009] 1 NZLR 776 (CA) (judicial review, public law, directors' duties and conflict of interest)
• MH Publications v Komori (UK) Ltd (HC AK CIV 2007-404-6520, 17/9/08) (arbitration, stay of proceedings)
• Health Advocates Trust v Director of Health and Disability Services Consumer Advocacy (HC AK CIV-2006-404-6066, 18/12/06; [2008] NZCA 67 (judicial review, contract)
• Commerce Commission v O'Neill and Anor (2006) 11 TCLR 884; (2008) 8 NZBLC 102,086; [2008] NZCA 67 (trade practices, criminal liability of companies and directors, sentencing).