The law firm acting for government insurer
Southern Response in its fight against a potential class action case has been named National Firm of the Year for New Zealand at the inaugural Asialaw Asia-Pacific Dispute Resolution Awards 2015.
The firm has a long track record of involvement in a large number of significant, high-profile cases in New Zealand.
Litigation partners Jenny Stevens and Sophie East have also authored the New Zealand chapter of the Class Actions Global Guide, published by Thompson Reuters.
The guide provides an overview of the key issues involved in class and collective actions around the world, with contributors from more than 25 jurisdictions.
Head of Bell Gully’s 14-partner litigation practice, Murray Tingey, said he was delighted to see the firm’s work being recognised.
“Our clients trust us to help them successfully resolve some of the most difficult situations businesses can face and it has been in meeting that responsibility and delivering results for those clients that we have received this recognition.”
The firm is currently involved in opposing a number of class action claims, including the Southern Response one, something which the firm says is a relatively new feature on the New Zealand legal landscape.
Bell Gully successfully acted for the defendant directors in the only securities class action to have gone to trial in both New Zealand and Australia; a class action brought by former shareholders in Feltex Carpets.
It also successfully represented the receivers of Bridgecorp in pursuing one of the most novel and significant insurance cases in the past decade to settle a claim against its directors.
The awards were announced at a gathering of leading dispute resolution lawyers and in-house practitioners at The Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong.
Leaders in 12 practice areas across 14 jurisdictions around the region were celebrated.
