As a construction lawyer you need to know about legislative change, allocating the risk appropriately in your contracts and unfortunately how to deal with the disputes when it all goes wrong. Join with experienced legal minds to examine recent case law & regulatory updates, to understand best practice risk allocation in your construction contracts and the key clauses you should employ. Delve into insurance coverage on construction projects and how to use it to your advantage plus gain practical tools and strategies for managing and resolving construction disputes.

Presenters

Mark Gillard, Special Counsel, Simpson Grierson
Mark is a Special Counsel in Simpson Grierson’s construction group, specialising in construction, infrastructure and procurement. Mark joined the Simpson Grierson in 2018 after spending 15 years in Australia where he worked both in top tier law firms (Clayton Utz and Herbert Smith Freehills) and in-house roles assisting with the successful delivery of major infrastructure projects across Australia, including several significant public transport projects in Sydney. His experience covers projects across the rail, roads, telecommunications, water, energy, property development and defence sectors. These projects have been delivered using a wide variety of documentation, from short form minor works contracts to suites of complex PPP documents for the financing and construction of major infrastructure. Mark has advised on resolving complex, high value disputes, including the renegotiation and amendment of project documents for PPP, joint venture and alliance arrangements. Where a dispute cannot be avoided, Mark is experienced in developing and implementing strategies which resolve disputes efficiently and minimise their impact on project delivery.

Christine Gordon, Senior Associate, Simpson Grierson
Christine is a senior associate in Simpson Grierson’s construction group. She is a specialist construction lawyer having developed her skills in London and top tier firms in New Zealand. Christine advises a broad range of construction parties from principals, contractors and sub-contractors to engineers, architects and insurers on issues arising both during and after construction. She has experience with New Zealand and international forms of construction contracts and consultancy services agreements. Christine’s experience extends to acting for parties in resolving complex and high value disputes through court, arbitration, mediation, adjudication, expert determination and other dispute resolution forums.


Tina Hwang, Director, Queen City Law
Tina Hwang is a Director and is the Leader of QCL’s large and award winning Property Team. Tina is also Co-Convenor of The Law Association (previously ADLS) Property Law Committee and member of The Law Association Property Disputes Committee. Tina mainly practises in property, construction and litigation. She has deep and wide experience in virtually all aspects of property law and property development and has been involved in some of New Zealand’s largest property projects. Tina has also developed expertise in construction issues and has presented papers at many New Zealand law seminars on property and construction law. She contributes regularly to the Builders & Contractors Magazine. Tina also speaks fluent Korean. Being client-centric Tina has also taken on numerous employment cases (both employer and employee) and the consequent mediation and settlements. Tina regularly appears in Tribunals and Courts. Clients love working with Tina as she is an excellent communicator, works very efficiently and keeps clients fully informed.


Helen Macfarlane, Partner, Hesketh Henry
Helen practices in the cross-over areas of construction and insurance law, within which areas she provides both front-end and dispute resolution advice. She is a truly international lawyer, having been admitted as a barrister in London before working in New York for 15 years with leading law firm, Shearman & Sterling (now A&O Shearman), including on major construction disputes. Helen advises on projects in the commercial and infrastructure space, including front-end contract drafting and negotiations, advising during project construction, and handling disputes ranging from payment claim / EOT disputes to defending defective design and construction claims in High Court proceedings. Complementing her construction expertise, Helen’s insurance practice includes advising on professional indemnity, third party liability, material damage and contract works policies and acting as defence counsel in construction related professional indemnity claims. Helen is the current President of the New Zealand Society of Construction Law (NZSCL) and is individually recommended by Legal 500 as a leading construction lawyer and by Chambers as a Notable Practitioner in Insurance.


Hazel Bowering-Scott, Senior Associate, Wynn Williams
Hazel is a skilled commercial dispute resolution lawyer based in Queenstown, with extensive experience in construction and insurance law. She specialises in defective building disputes, material damage, and professional indemnity claims, and is highly knowledgeable about the Construction Contracts Act, the Building Act, and industry contracts like NZS 3910. In addition to her expertise in construction law, Hazel handles a broad range of general commercial disputes, including debt recovery, contract disputes, negligence claims, statutory liability, and other company-related issues. Known for her strategic approach, Hazel is a persuasive advocate who focuses on providing practical and effective dispute resolution. She employs a variety of methods, including mediation, arbitration, adjudication, and negotiated settlements, to achieve the best outcomes for her clients.