Jeremy is an experienced litigator and dispute resolution specialist with a proven track record in advocacy. He has particular expertise in commercial, insolvency, relationship property and equity and trust law.
Jeremy is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and holds a STEP Advanced Certificate in Trust Disputes, placing first in his global class. Jeremy has offices in both Christchurch and Auckland.
Jeremy has an ability to quickly grasp a legal situation and provide accurate, commercially realistic advice at short notice. He is frequently instructed to appear as counsel in the courts and before arbitral tribunals. In the past year he has appeared as senior counsel in more than half a dozen hearings and has also appeared as junior counsel with some of New Zealand’s leading barristers.
Since 2013 Jeremy has been recognised as a leader in his field in leading global directories most recently in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 and Chambers Asia-Pacific 2020 and Chambers Global 2020 legal guides. One client describes him as “patient, quietly determined and gives his clients a strong feeling that they are in a safe pair of hands. I cannot recommend him highly enough. In terms of overall value for money, his advice was worth every cent.’ Another client describes him as ‘intellectually strong with very good emotional intelligence, which helps his clients make good decisions in the face of ambiguity’.
In previous directories a client describes him as an “excellent strategic litigator and thinker. He is very responsive and well regarded by other practitioners, which makes negotiations more streamlined”. Another client describes him as “in a league of his own”, “his approach in court is courteous and disarming” while another impressed client enthused that he is “probably the most outstanding young lawyer I have ever met”.
Jeremy is a Fellow of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand for Arbitration; he is the youngest person to have achieved this distinction. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Jeremy also received the Sir Ronald Davison Award for excellence in arbitral award writing. He is available to appear as counsel in arbitrations and to take appointments as an arbitrator.
Jeremy was awarded the 2017 NZ Law Awards Artemis Executive Recruitment Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year (under 35). Being described as “a clear winner in this category”, the judges praised Jeremy for having an impressive career to date.
Prior to joining the bar Jeremy was a partner at Wynn Williams where he led the Dispute Resolution team for eight years and was the senior litigation partner by the time he left.
Outside of work, Jeremy is active in the community. He serves as Deputy Legal Adviser to the Primates of New Zealand and from 2008 to 2020 was the Vice-Chancellor and then Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch. He also served as a member of the Legislation Design Advisory Committee which reviews proposed legislation for the Attorney-General and Parliament.
Jeremy is actively involved in governance. He is a Fellow of Christ’s College, Canterbury, and is a past President of the Christ’s College Old Boys’ Association. He is also the Chair of the New Zealand String Quartet Trust.
Jeremy has a BA and LLB (Hons) from the University of Canterbury and an LLM, with first class honours, from the University of Cambridge.
