How to be a good junior and how to progress (CPD 1.5 hr)

Les Taylor QC

Les Taylor QC has practised as a commercial litigator for over 30 years. He has been Senior Counsel in various jurisdictions including the High Court, Court of Appeal, Privy Council, Supreme Court, Environment Court and Employment Court.

Les has extensive experience in insurance litigation, (indemnity, public liability, director and officer liability and statutory liability), construction law, environmental law, shipping law, energy law, the Commerce Act and Securities Act and employment law.

He has also acted as senior counsel in numerous other cases primarily in the High Court and Court of Appeal and in arbitrations, mediations and settlements.

Esther Watt

Esther specialises in commercial, regulatory and public law litigation. She is an experienced advocate and acts regularly for private and public sector clients in contractual, public and administrative law, financial services, regulatory compliance and enforcement, and human rights matters.  Esther has appeared in complex commercial cases in the courts of New Zealand, the British Virgin Islands, the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Eastern Caribbean.

Esther started her career as a Judge’s Clerk to the Hon Justice Arnold in the Court of Appeal, before joining the Crown Law Office, where she worked in the criminal and human rights teams.  After completing her LLM at the University of Cambridge, Esther spent four years in the London office of a leading US commercial litigation firm. During that time, she appeared in a number of high value commercial disputes, led by Lord Falconer of Thoroton, the former UK Lord Chancellor, and Solicitor-General for England and Wales. Upon returning to New Zealand, Esther spent three years in the litigation team at Russell McVeagh, before commencing practice as a barrister at Stout Street Chambers in 2017.

Jonathan Orpin-Dowell

Jonathan is an experienced litigator practising in commercial and public law litigation. He has particular expertise in disputes concerning trusts, administrative law proceedings, and contemporary Te Tiriti o Waitangi issues.

Jonathan has been at the independent bar for 12 years. He has appeared in arbitrations and at all levels of the New Zealand courts, including as both lead counsel and counsel assisting the court in the High Court and Court of Appeal.

In addition to his advocacy work, Jonathan is also actively engaged in law reform. Since 2015 he has been a member of the Legislation Design and Advisory Committee (established by the Attorney-General to improve the quality and effectiveness of legislation) and the New Zealand Law Society’s Law Reform Committee.

Mike Lennard (Chair)

Mike Lennard is a litigation lawyer, specialising in tax disputes and litigation. Mike spent eight years as a Crown prosecutor and civil litigation lawyer, eight years as head of litigation for Inland Revenue, and has practiced at the independent bar since June 2004. He is recognised as a leading tax disputes lawyer in both in New Zealand and internationally.

Mike is involved in many training programmes including New Zealand Law Society's Litigation Skills Programme and as an adjunct teaching fellow at the University of Auckland.  He is a member of the NZLS Taxation Committee.  He is a regular contributor to, and a member of the Advisory Board of, "Taxation Today", (and other Thomson Reuters texts). He represented New Zealand at the International Fiscal Association in 2015 and has spoken at numerous conferences and seminars over the past 15 years on subjects relating to tax disputes and administrative law issues.