BROOKFIELDS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Solicitor
- Senior Solicitor / Employment
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Chairman of the New Zealand Branch of the STEP
Alison Gilbert leads our Private Client Team. She provides specialist legal advice on estate planning, the establishment and management of trusts and related asset management structures, relationship property and elder law. Alison has extensive experience in working with trustees and/or beneficiaries on trust disputes and contentious estate matters.
Alison is the chair of the New Zealand branch of the STEP, the principal professional body for trust and estate practitioners worldwide and a member of the STEP Contentious Trusts & Estates SIG Global Steering Committee. Alison is the lead author of Lexis Nexis Succession - Practical Guidelines.
Alison has been ranked in the 1st band as a private client lawyer in Chambers & Partners High Net Worth 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 Guides.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Wellington Lawyer
Wellington Lawyer Andrew Cameron is a senior litigator whose practice includes criminal and public law areas as well as general civil litigation.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Partner
- Auckland Lawyer
Auckland lawyer Andrew Green practises in the area of resource management and environmental law. He acts mainly for local authorities and public bodies. He also advises commercial and commercial property clients on resource management matters. His practice includes environmental due diligence and auditing, advice to and appearance work relating to local authority and private sector projects.
Andrew provides advice on public and administrative law, local government law and environmental law issues for clients undertaking major infrastructure projects. He also advises on the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act, Building Act and numerous other statutes under which local authorities operate.
Job Titles:
- Registered Legal Executive in Brookfields' Trusts
- Senior Legal Executive - Associate
Angela is a Registered Legal Executive in Brookfields' Trusts and Estates. With more than 10 years in Trusts and Estates (and Property background previously), she is experienced in Trusts and Estates administration; including drafting Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney to overseeing investment of funds, investment portfolio administration, accounting and tax reporting to clients and preparing PPPR Statements of Property and Annual Statements for Court appointed property managers.
Job Titles:
- Solicitor
- Solicitor / Finance, Commercial and Residential Property
Brenna Hadley has been involved in a wide range of commercial, property and finance transactions since beginning her legal career in mid-2022. Brenna has recently joined the team at Brookfields and provides guidance and support on complex commercial and residential property transactions involving a range of finance arrangements. Brenna also assists with subdivision projects and provides support in generating lending and security documents for non-bank lenders.
Brenna's proactive and driven approach ensures that transactions are run smoothly and efficiently.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Banking, Commercial
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Auckland Lawyer
- Partner / Commercial, Construction, Property, Business / Auckland
Auckland lawyer Chris Paterson has extensive experience in a wide range of commercial and property transactions including sale and purchase of commercial property, financing, business sales and purchases, joint ventures and ownership structures. He also advises on procurement processes, leasing and construction issues.
Chris advises commercial entities, private individuals, and a number of the firm's local authority and public clients. He provides commercial and property law advice to the firm's local authority and other clients on their infrastructure and other major projects.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Banking & Finance
- Specialist
Deborah Miller is a specialist Auckland property lawyer who successfully manages all types of residential and commercial property transactions. Her practice has a particular emphasis on commercial leasing, unit title development and the banking securities required for such developments.
Deborah provides advice on all aspects of property law for clients undertaking major infrastructure projects. She has been principal adviser on the legal aspects of a number of multi-storeyed developments in and around Auckland, guiding clients on the acquisition of sites, the construction process, title structuring including preparation of complex easement documentation, through to sale and/or lease of completed developments. She also has experience in relation to green star rating of premises.
Deborah also provides advice on foreign investment in New Zealand.
Auckland lawyer John Young advises public, commercial and private clients on environmental and local government law issues. His practice includes providing advice on resource consents, district plan appeals, discharges, financial contributions and enforcement matters.
Job Titles:
- Senior Legal Executive - Associate
- Senior Legal Executive - Associate / Commercial
is an associate in Brookfields' Business, Property and Finance team. Kirstin specialises in property law and property development. Her experience also extends to hotel developments, bodies corporate, property and due diligence advice in residential and commercial developments and commercial leasing.
Job Titles:
- Auckland Senior Legal Executive
- Senior Legal Executive - Associate
is an associate in the firm's litigation and dispute resolution group where she assists with case management for matters proceeding to court - from District Court level right through to the Supreme Court. Lisa also co-ordinates our debt recovery services, providing an efficient and effective process to recover outstanding debts for our corporate, public and private clients.
Lisa Wansbrough advises Council clients throughout New Zealand on a range of public law matters, including consultation, decision-making and code conduct matters, drafting, review and enforcement of bylaws, traffic and building law administration and enforcement, and LGOIMA requests. Lisa is also experienced in all aspects of the RMA, and regularly advises Councils on a wide range of resource management matters, including queries related to resource consents (as applicant and consenting authority), notices of requirement, Schedule 1 processes, implementation of national policy statements, enforcement matters and appellate and judicial review proceedings.
Lisa is also an experienced litigator and has acted on environmental, civil, criminal and immigration litigation. She spent time working in the United Kingdom as a solicitor for the Secretary of State for the Home Department. In this role she was responsible for defending judicial review claims. In recent times, her litigation practice has included litigation for councils and assisting on environmental appeals.
Recent examples of Lisa's work include:
Prosecutions under the RMA, Building Act and Local Government Acts on behalf of several councils;
Undertaking comprehensive bylaw reviews for two councils;
Successful enforcement proceedings under the RMA, including obtaining an order for indemnity costs;
Legal opinions on local government, RMA, PWA, Reserves Act, Building Act and alcohol licensing matters;
Advising and representing clients at alcohol licensing hearings; and
In conjunction with the litigation team, successfully defended judicial reviews against decision-making relating to roads and reserve land.
Lisa is a co-author of Thomson Reuters Local Government Law in New Zealand.
advises both public and private sector clients on environmental, resource management, land transport, development and local government issues. Matthew has appeared in the Environment Court, High Court and Court of Appeal as counsel on resource management matters. He has particular expertise with 'direct referral' proceedings in the Environment Court. Matthew has chaired two expert consenting panels appointed under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020.
Before rejoining Brookfields Lawyers in 2007, Matthew worked in the London offices of international law firms Norton Rose and Taylor Wessing where he acted for property developers, industrial undertakings, banks, and the UK's largest port group. He also worked in-house at a London Borough Council practising planning, environmental and highways law.
Job Titles:
- Auckland Lawyer
- Special Counsel
- Special Counsel / Employment, Insurance
Auckland lawyer Philippa Couldwell specialises in litigation and dispute resolution. She provides advice and representation in respect of civil, commercial, insurance and employment litigation and disputes, and also acts for insurers and defendants in relation to statutory prosecutions, such as Health and Safety and Resource Management Act matters. She has particular experience and skills in respect of commercial disputes, professional negligence claims, insurance and employment law.
Auckland lawyer Prajna Moodley specialises in commercial litigation and dispute resolution. He acts in a range of disputes for individuals, businesses of all sizes, institutional property owners, and public organisations including local authorities and universities among others.
Job Titles:
- Senior Solicitor
- Senior Solicitor / Banking & Finance, Commercial
Job Titles:
- Senior Legal Executive - Associate
- Senior Legal Executive - Associate / Banking & Finance, Commercial
Stephen also has extensive experience acting on behalf of insurance companies and clients on employment disputes. He is regularly engaged by private clients and acts for both employers and employees in disputes, including personal grievances, gives advice and guidance regarding workplace issues, including restructures, redundancies, performance management issues, misconduct investigations and workplace policies. Stephen also frequently provides advice on the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Privacy Act 2020, including information requests and complaints before the Privacy Commissioner.
Stephen also defends professional liability claims against the likes of architects, lawyers, engineers and accountants in respect of District Court and High Court claims and complaints brought before disciplinary and regulatory bodies. He also defends companies against regulatory prosecutions including the Resource Management Act and Building Act, and has a significant commercial and construction disputes practice, including in respect of dealing with leaky building claims and non-weathertightness disputes. Stephen has appeared in the District and High Courts and the Court of Appeal. His recent experience in this field also includes acting for one of several defendants on a multi-party weathertightness High Court claim, successfully resolving a multi-million-dollar construction dispute and appearing at mediation and settling a professional indemnity/regulatory complaint.