OUR EXPERTISE
Specialist Litigation Expertise.
We advise on a range of complex disputes, with particular expertise in insurance and trust litigation.
Our work is focused, strategic, and led directly by experienced practitioners.
Insurance Litigation, Coverage & General Risks
Professional indemnity (including lawyers, accountants, architects and engineers), statutory liability, product liability, defective work, recovery actions, indemnity advice and regulatory compliance.
We have acted extensively for insurers and insureds on insurance matters. These include professional negligence claims in a variety of areas, prosecutions under health and safety, resource management and animal welfare legislation, professional disciplinary matters, commissions of inquiry, fire claims, general negligence issues, earthquake litigation and settlements, defective work claims, and product contamination issues. We also provide indemnity and risk advice.
Trust & Estate Litigation
Litigation and advice on all areas of trusts: challenging and defending trustee decisions, Beddoe applications, removal of trustees, disclosure trustee duties and negligence, breaches of fiduciary duty, mental capacity issues, trust variations, drafting and interpretation.
We have provided advice and acted on some of New Zealand’s most well known trust cases – for trustees and for beneficiaries. We regularly give seminars on trust matters to other professionals. We undertake work for charities including Schemes to vary trusts under the Charitable Trusts Act, liquidation matters and best practice governance and compliance.
Commercial & Company Disputes
Cancellation of contracts, interpretation, breaches by directors, solvency issues, schemes of arrangement, shareholder disputes including prejudiced shareholders, fair value issues.
We deal with advice across jurisdictions, and are experienced in arbitration, mediation and expert determinations.
Regulatory & Public Law
Judicial reviews, Health and Safety, Prosecutions under the Resource Management Act, Ministry for Primary Industry Prosecutions, investigations and inquiries by government agencies including sensitive matters, coronial hearings, defending serious criminal charges.
We understand primary industry and industrial environments. Our industry specific experience includes farming, forestry, transport, aviation and manufacturing. We also deal with serious criminal matters, coronial hearings and investigations or inquiries.
Emergency & Interim Relief and Specialist/Sensitive Matters
Injunctions, search orders, fraud investigations and allegations, coronial hearings, personal injury and mental injury matters, class actions, professional discipline and complaints and matters with a high degree of public and media interest
Our experience includes a wide range of urgent and sensitive matters including those with a high degree of media, political and public interest. We understand the additional sensitivity and stress associated with high profile matters.
General Commercial Litigation, Agribusiness & Property Disputes
Lease issues, sharemilking, boundary disputes, covenant variations/removals, caveats and all types of property and general litigation.
Our work is focused on matters requiring clarity, strategy, and experienced judgement.
Specialist litigation lawyers in Christchurch acting across New Zealand.
Shannon Foote Law Ltd
Ōtautahi Christchurch
Ayleath +64 21 930 744
Chris +64 21 860 046
