Innovative Legal Solutions

Commercial Leasing & Dispute Resolution

Drafting of commercial leasing is often thought of as simple and routine, when in reality it is complex and needs careful planning.  Leasing usually involves long term arrangements and long term commitments in a rapidly changing market.  The Commercial team has been involved with negotiating and drafting leases for landlords and for tenants and for providing a range of unique clauses depending on market conditions.  One area of contention is around guarantees on leases and whether guarantees can be safely limited in some way so as to meet the objectives of both the landlord and the tenant. 

The Commercial Team has also been involved with rent abatement where there has been a fire or  a failure of major services being provided by the landlord, and has been involved with reinstatement disputes at the expiry of the lease term.  The team includes a trained mediator and the senior solicitors have been involved with mediations and arbitrations on lease dispute resolution. 

News & Events
"Super Ministry" 09/05/2012
John Key has announced that Cabinet has agreed in principle to the merging of the Ministry of Economic Development, the Department of Labour, the... read more more
Proposed Changes to Consumer Credit Law 09/05/2012
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has released an exposure draft of a bill to amend the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003.  The... read more more
Law change to criminalise breaches of director’s duties! 29/02/2012
Following the recent (and highly publicised) finance company collapses, it has become apparent to many that the law presently lacks appropriate... read more more
Unit title owners – ensure that the Body Corporate holds an Annual General Meeting and attend it! 14/02/2012
The Property Law Section of the New Zealand Law Society has advised that it has come to their attention that some unit title Bodies Corporate are... read more more
Fire in premises. Landlord gave the wrong notice and was done for conversion of the tenant’s goods 19/09/2011
In the case of Birdwood Custodians v New Lynn Compliance Centre, a fire at the leased premises led to the landlord giving a notice... read more more
Request for Facebook Login Information - Employers Going to Far?
REQUEST FOR FACEBOOK LOGIN INFORMATION – EMPLOYERS GOING TO FAR? You may have been astonished to read in the news recently that employers in the... read more more
Charities and the liability of Trustees
A charitable trust begins like any other trust with the trustees liable in their own names as there is no identity different from themselves. To... read more more
PPSR – You need to use it!
It is now over a decade since the Personal Properties Security Register (“PPSR”) came into existence.  Despite it now being a... read more more
Is it worth spending all that money on a LIM?
It sure is!  In the Sunset Terraces Case*1 the Supreme Court suggested that a purchaser is “likely” to be found to have been negligent... read more more
Limiting Trustee Liability
  Trusts are not separate legal entities in their own right.  When trustees enter into contracts they are personally liable for all of... read more more