Court Claims & Defences

In some routine areas of the law the skill, commitment and experience of the lawyer may not be critical. In claims and defences which go to Court or which may go to Court we think that the skill, commitment and experience of the lawyer is critical. With litigation, at every step of the way judgements have to be made by the lawyer and the client has to be guided by those judgements. If they are not right then the consequences can be serious. Most Court processes are contests and in any contest those competing need to be capable and committed.

Litigation of all kinds is a major part of our practice. We deal with disputes ranging from the fairly minor to the most substantial every day. Matters in which we have acted have gone to every level of the Courts system in New Zealand including to the Supreme Court. Again, in areas where specialist advice or specialist counsel are required we will always advise the engagement of the most appropriate Queens Counsel or other specialist.

We well understand that when clients become involved in litigation it can become an important and sometimes dominating part of life. We always do our best to support clients through the litigation process and where it is necessary and where we can, soften the impact of costs along the way.

In any Court process it is essential that lawyers and the parties involved are constantly looking to see whether some settlement or compromise is available. Litigation that is complex or that goes on for a long time can become expensive. Expensive not just in a financial sense but in the sense of time taken and opportunities to do other things which are lost. There is usually some risk in litigation and while good lawyers can judge risks the cases where there is no risk are very few. So while we are always ready and willing to engage in contests we are also very conscious that sometimes a settlement or compromise is the best outcome.