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​CIVIL and criminal proceeds LITIGATION

$550 per hour + GST and disbursements 

JM is proud to be one of the only (if not the only) 100%-private-client criminal proceeds practices in New Zealand.

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FAMILY COURT LITIGATION

$600 per hour + GST & disbursements 
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Care of Children Act 2004
Family Violence Act 2018
Oranga Tamariki Act 1989

Make sure you have adequate funding for private counsel at the start of your engagement. I take on very few cases in the Family Court. ​I am a civil lawyer who acts in the family court from time to time. For family law specialists, please visit the NZ Law Society's Family Law Section webpage. 

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PUBLIC LITIGATION

$490 per hour plus GST and disbursements 

These are civil claims against government departments, police, and other public entities. 

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Payment terms are "upon receipt of invoice" unless otherwise agreed.

Failure to pay your lawyer can be "good cause" for termination of engagement. 

Legal aid services are not provided by this practice. 

"If your matter requires an instructing solicitor, then the solicitor's fees are in addition to my fees as your barrister every month. If further barristers are added to your litigation team, their fees will be in addition to my fees, my instructing solicitor's fees, and their instructing solicitors' fees."

NB: For larger matters that require 2 or more barristers, the legal fees of additional barristers will be subject to their own rates, terms, and conditions of engagement. You will need to sign separate engagements for each barrister added to your team. 

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Retainers are paid to the instructing solicitor's trust account

• A solicitor is the legal professional who holds a trust account.


• The solicitor on a matter provides another check & balance as to the advice and approach of counsel. 


• The solicitor can act as a conduit between you and your barrister when you do not wish to raise issues about billing, personality, or termination with your barrister yourself. 


• You are a client of both the barrister and the barrister's instructing solicitor. 


• The solicitor conducts AML (anti-money laundering procedure); in some cases, this practice will conduct our own checks. 


• ​All invoices of Counsel are sent to both the client, the litigation funder (if relevant), and the solicitor.


• A retainer is paid directly to your solicitor's trust account (a bank deposit slip will be sent to you) and this practice invoices against the retainer held. Further retainers are required as your matter proceeds. ​

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HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR LITIGANTS ​

Conduct Rules

Lawyers' Conduct and Client Care Rules 2008 are found here.
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New Zealand Law Society Website

The NZLS operate a very user friendly service for both lawyers and clients.  If you require my help navigating the site, please let me know.  You can visit their website here. 
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Find a Case

​The Ministry of Justice publish many decisions of the courts and tribunals online.  Please visit this website here.
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Ministry of Justice

You can find plenty of information about the New Zealand court system, enforcement, and general information about procedure in the courts and tribunals on this website. Please visit it here.
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Litigation Funders in New Zealand 

For large value litigation, litigation funding may be an option. Please see the law society's brief article on litigation funders present in the New Zealand market here.
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NEW ZEALAND LEGAL INFORMATION INSTITUTE

This is a great public and free legal research resource found here.