Our Profession, Our People
LawTalk 902 · 2 December 2016
Our Profession Our People Wellington barrister Noel Sainsbury has been appointed an Acting District Court Judge with a jury warrant to be based in Manukau. Judge Sainsbury was sworn in on 18 November in Wellington. Judge Noel Sainsbury Sainsbury has practised in the Wellington region since his admission in 1985. In 1993 he went into sole practice as a barrister and has worked primarily in the area of criminal law. Before moving to the bench, Judge Sainsbury was a member of the Wellington Crown Prosecution Panel although he predominantly acted as defence counsel. When appointed he was President of the Criminal Bar Association. Michele Wilkinson-Smith has been appointed Crown Solicitor for Whanganui. She succeeds Lance Rowe who was appointed to the District Court Bench in April 2016. Ms Wilkinson-Smith graduated from Auckland University with an LLB (Hons) in 1993 and joined the independent bar in 2005. She has extensive criminal law experience, including 12 years as a Crown prosecutor and 11 years as a criminal defence barrister. She has been a member of the Crown Prosecution Panel in Palmerston North since 2012. She has also been a faculty member of the NZLS CLE Litigation Skills Programme. Former lawyer Abby Foote has been appointed to the board of Television New Zealand. A former Gambling Commissioner, Miss Foote is now a professional director. Nathanael Starrenburg has been appointed as a new member of the Takeovers Panel for a fiveyear term, which began on 25 October. A director of Harmos Horton Lusk, Mr Starrenburg specialises in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, equity capital markets, private securities offerings and
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complex joint venture arrangements. Lyn Lim, a partner of Forest Harrison, has been elected chair of Foundation North. Foundation North is a community trust which grants approximately $40 million a year to community groups within Auckland and Northland. Ms Lim is on the boards of AUT University, Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Board and Public Trust. She is also a member of various committees of these organisations. She is a trustee of Asian New Zealand Foundation. Dr Arie Rosen from Auckland University Law School has been awarded a $300,000 Marsden Grant to undertake a study of how democracy influences some of the fundamental rules that shape our economic lives: the private law rules of contracts, torts and restitution. The study, entitled A Law Beyond Democracy: The Insulation of Private Law from Democratic Change, will look at the political story behind the making of private law rules, emphasising the role played by courts, lawyers and legal academics in controlling democratic legislation in this field. Dr Nicole Roughan has been awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship for research entitled Jurisprudence without Borders: A Pluralist Theory of Law. The Auckland University academic was one of 10 recipients of this year’s award.
Welcome to the profession The New Zealand Law Society welcomes the following recently admitted lawyers to the profession:
Wellington Joshua Johnathan Harvey Karl Taylor van der Plas
Tauranga Narissa Antonia Siemonek Daniel Song
Gold award for equal pay Simpson Grierson took home the Gold Award for excellence at the YWCA Equal Pay Awards 2016, held in Auckland on 3 November. Minister for Women Louise Upston presented the award, and congratulated the firm on achieving the very rare honour of having a 0% pay gap between men and women doing the same job. Human Rights Commissioner Dr Jackie Blue also congratulated the firm, saying there is a 12% pay gap across New Zealand. Based on current trajectories, it will take a further 80 years to achieve pay equity between men and women in New Zealand. “We simply look at the relativities every time we hire people and set pay rates based on experience, seniority and performance. It is as simple as that,” says Jo Copeland, Simpson Grierson’s Human Resources Director. Other finalists included Russell McVeagh, AMP and Sovereign. ▪
MURRAY
TINGEY BARRISTER
Will commence practice at the independent bar on 1 January 2017 Email: murray@tingey.co.nz Phone: 021 704 159