Join this practical drafting session tailored for junior to intermediate litigators, focusing on three key areas: drafting effective correspondence (what to consider and watch for), structuring strong and effective pleadings (including claims, defences, counterclaims, and replies), and crafting how to draft written submissions that align with court expectations.
How to Draft Correspondence: What you Need to Consider and What to Look Out For
- Legal considerations: have you agreed, correspondence as evidence, without prejudice
- Your obligations to your client and the profession
- Practical considerations: plain English tips, negotiation dynamics
Presented by Jessica Phillips, Partner, Tompkins Wake
Description
Attend and earn 3 CPD hours
* This interactive online recording includes questions and quizzes requiring critical thinking about the topics, so you have no annual limits to the number of points/hours you can claim with this format of learning. Please verify with your CPD rules
How to Draft Effective Pleadings: Claims, Defences, Counterclaims and Replies
- Why pleadings are important
- The fundamental requirements involved in drafting pleadings
- The benefits of pleading effectively are wide ranging
- The risk in pleading poorly: some examples of strike out
Presented by Tom Pasley, Barrister & Solicitor
How to Draft Written Submissions: What is the Court Looking For
- Why are written submissions important?
- General principles and applicable rules on drafting submissions
- Submissions in different court procedures
- Practical tips for drafting persuasive submissions
Presented by Kishen Kommu, Barrister, FortyEight Shortland Chambers
Learning Objectives:
- Learn legal and practical considerations to consider when drafting correspondence
- Know how to draft effective pleadings
- Understand how to draft written submissions that meet court expectations
Chair:
Martin Dillon, Barrister, 109 Chambers
Presenters
Martin Dillon, Barrister, 109 Chambers
Martin began practising in 2007. He has worked in private practice, as in-house counsel and as a Crown Prosecutor. These roles have involved a range of clients and cases, from relatively minor disputes to large-scale litigation. He joined the independent bar in 2018. Access to justice is a particular concern: Martin is a legal aid provider, published CourtKeys.com and wrote Civil Litigation for Non-Lawyers.
Kishen Kommu, Barrister, FortyEight Shortland Chambers
Kishen is an experienced civil litigator with a broad range of dispute resolution expertise including construction, property, commercial, insolvency and unit title disputes. He practices as a barrister sole from FortyEight Shortland Chambers and has appeared as counsel in the Court of Appeal, High Court, District Court, various tribunals and alternative dispute resolution processes. Prior to moving to the independent bar, Kishen practiced in the litigation teams of well-regarded firms in Auckland and Tauranga.
Jessica Phillips, Partner, Tompkins Wake
Jessica is a specialist commercial and regulatory litigator with particular experience in commercial, competition and property disputes. Jessica has acted for clients in a wide range of sectors including education, construction and sports administration, and is skilled in managing large-scale litigation. In addition to regular appearances in the District and High Courts, Jessica is experienced in resolving matters by way of arbitration. Prior to joining Tompkins Wake in 2024, Jessica was a senior associate at a large New Zealand law firm. Her overseas experience includes six years working in London, including at international firms Hausfeld and Clifford Chance.
Tom Pasley, Barrister & Solicitor
Tom is an experienced commercial and civil litigator who is regularly involved in the resolution of disputes through litigation, arbitration, mediation, and negotiation. He acts for private clients, insurers, and insureds and provides sound judgement and strategic advice on challenging legal matters. Tom’s practice focuses on contractual disputes, company and securities law, insurance, insolvency, banking and finance, professional negligence, trust disputes, regulatory litigation and investigations, and property disputes. Tom has also acted for clients in several of New Zealand’s largest class actions and is experienced working on large and complex multi-party disputes.
