LawTalk 879 · 4 December 2015
Our Profession Our People Wellington lawyer Brigitte Windley has been appointed a Coroner. Ms Windley will succeed retiring Dunedin Coroner David Crerar. She was sworn in at the Wellington District Court on 23 November. Brigitte Windley Before taking up her role as a Coroner, Ms Windley was employed by New Zealand Police as a legal adviser and was on secondment to the Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence & Security in the role of senior investigator. Earlier in her career she worked for several law firms, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and Disputes Resolution Services Limited. On announcing Ms Windley’s appointment, the Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson acknowledged the dedicated and able service of Mr Crerar since his appointment as a Coroner in 1979. Christchurch lawyer Kerry Smith has been appointed an Employment Court Judge. He will be sworn in on 29 January 2016 in Christchurch. Mr Smith is a senior litigation partner with Buddle Findlay in Kerry Smith Christchurch having joined the partnership in 1991. He practises primarily in employment law, resource management and civil litigation. He is currently the Deputy Convenor, Canterbury Westland Lawyers Standards Committee No 1 of the New Zealand Law Society. Mr Smith has also been appointed an acting District Court Judge to provide temporary assistance in the civil jurisdiction. These appointments will initially be based in Wellington but will relocate to the Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct when it opens in early 2017.
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Our Profession, Our People
Una Jagose has been appointed Solicitor-General, and will succeed Michael Heron QC on 15 February 2016. Ms Jagose was Deputy Solicitor, Crown Legal Risk at Crown Law for two years before becomUna Jagose ing Acting Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) in February this year. Before becoming Deputy Solicitor, Crown Legal Risk, Ms Jagose worked for Crown Law for over a decade in a variety of roles. She has also been Chief Legal Advisor at the Ministry of Fisheries. She holds an LLB from Otago University and an LLM (First Class Honours) from Victoria University and was admitted in 1990. Tiana Epati has been appointed to the subcommittee of external advisors to the Legislative Design and Advisory Committee. Ms Epati is the New Zealand Law Society’s Gisborne branch President. A criminal defence Tiana Epati lawyer, she is also a member of the Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee. Two lawyers have been appointed to the new expert group the government has established to review insolvency law – Michael Arthur and Crispin Vinnell. A commercial litigator, Mr Arthur is a partner of Chapman Tripp in Auckland. Mr Vinnell, who specialises in insolvency and recovery matters, is a partner of Anthony Harper in Christchurch. The working group has seven members and has been set up to provide independent advice to the government on important aspects of corporate insolvency law. It is due to report back to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs on any recommended changes to the law by the middle of next year. The College of Law New Zealand has recently appointed criminal lawyer Anna Longdill as an adjunct lecturer. Ms Longdill has over 10 years crown litigation experience with Meredith Connell and has Anna Longdill this year commenced practice as a barrister sole. Anna has represented Immigration New Zealand, Police (civil),
Department of Corrections, Department of Internal Affairs, Department of Conservation and Ministry for Primary Industries. Ms Longdill’s appointment was one of six the College made recently to support the ProAmy Jardine fessional Legal Studies Course which is offered in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Dunedin. Amy Jardine was appointed in Auckland. Recently returned to New Zealand, Ms Jardine has eight years’ Belinda Moffat experience as a corporate and commercial lawyer, specialising in business transactional law and commercial contracting law. She has worked for Simpson Grierson in Auckland and Herbert Smith Freehills in Melbourne. Mark Vickerman Belinda Moffat was appointed in Auckland. Ms Moffat was the Director of Enforcement and Investigations with the Financial Markets Authority, New Zealand and was previously Head of Dispute Resolution for Westpac New Zealand. Mark Vickerman was appointed, also in Auckland. Mr Vickerman has been a barrister sole since 1987 specialising in family law and relationship property. He has been a faculty member for the NZLS CLE Litigation Skills Course since 2011. Peter Jenkin QC has been appointed in Wellington. Mr Jenkin has been a barrister sole since 1985 specialising in taxation, trusts, construction and administrative law and was appointed Queens Counsel in 1988. He was a former Vice-President, Board member and Council member of the New Zealand Law Society and former President and Council member of the Wellington District Law Society. He has also been a faculty member from 1995 to 2007 of the NZLS CLE Advanced Litigation Skills Course. Peter Ratner has been appointed, also in Wellington. Mr Ratner became a partner of Rudd Watts & Stone (now Minter Ellison Rudd Watts), and subsequently established Crengle & Ranter in March 1999. He remains a partner of this practice, now known as Crengle Shreves & Ratner. He is a LEADR Accredited Panel Member.