Presenters

Tiho Mijatov, Barrister, Stout Street Chambers
Tiho is a barrister sole and practises from Stout Street Chambers, Wellington. He regularly conducts trials and appeals on a range of commercial and general civil matters including company law, property law, contract disputes, negligence and other areas of commercial life. He appears at all levels of the Courts. Tiho is ranked by the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific New Zealand Bar directory in top tier 1 as a leading barrister-sole for commercial disputes. Tiho has acted for plaintiffs and defendants who have either sought to bring or oppose a range of interlocutory matters. He has run cases at first instance and on appeal relating to interlocutory applications. Examples from which Tiho will draw include interlocutory matters relating to: adequacy of pleadings, discovery against parties or non-parties, interrogatories, pre-trial admissibility rulings, summary judgment and strike-out, and interim injunctions and other emergency relief.


Helen Smith, Barrister, Canterbury Chambers
Helen has nearly 30 years’ experience as litigator. She is considered, determined, commercial and skilled at cutting through complex issues. Helen provides specialist advice and advocacy in dispute resolution, civil and commercial litigation, insurance, and construction disputes. She also conducts independent investigations and appears for clients in inquiries and Coronial inquests. After many years as a skilled mediation advocate, she also trained as a mediator to help people resolve their own disputes. Her focus is mediating civil and commercial disputes. Helen also facilitates negotiations between adversarial parties and expert conferencing. Before joining Canterbury Chambers in 2024, Helen worked in private practice in New Zealand and local government in London. She was a partner at Duncan Cotterill from 2009 to 2016 and at Simpson Grierson from 2016 to 2024 where she was the firm’s national litigation practice group leader and led the firm’s insurance practice. Helen is an excellent communicator. She provides clear and considered advice, is highly organised, and proactively seeks solutions. She takes a practical and pragmatic approach, recognising there are different ways to achieve a desired commercial outcome. Clients trust Helen to be in their corner with a plan in place, helping them to navigate risk, resolve disputes and achieve great outcomes.