Michelle advises clients on all types of civil and commercial disputes, with a particular focus on professional liability, company law (including restructuring and insolvency, directors’ duties and shareholder disputes), contract, tort disputes and property law. She has appeared before the District Court, High Court, as junior counsel in the Court of Appeal and in specialist jurisdictions such as the Tenancy Tribunal.

She joined Fee Langstone in 2017 after gaining seven years of private practice experience in Auckland. Michelle then moved to London to take up a Senior Associate role in the Clyde & Co London office where she worked on high profile professional liability claims. She returned to New Zealand and re-joined Fee Langstone in 2021.

Michelle has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland.

Work highlights

• Defending and resolving claims against professionals, including solicitors, engineers and architects.

• Representing a group of foreign purchasers of investment properties in Queenstown, New Zealand in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court on a dispute over the interpretation of agreements for sale and purchase (Kawarau Village Holdings v Sun).

• Acting as counsel on a successful opposition to an application to set aside a statutory demand in respect of debt owing under a short-term loan agreement (Plus Construction NZ Ltd v Kiwi Steel NZ Ltd).

• Acting as counsel on a successful opposition to an application to sustain a caveat relating to building work completed on a property prior to settlement of an agreement for sale and purchase (Brown v KN Building Ltd).

• Junior counsel on a successful opposition to an interim injunction application relating to a lease dispute and a subsequent successful opposition to an appeal of that decision (Sale 33 Ltd v M D Designer International Ltd).

• Advising various companies, including a large publicly listed company, on compliance with the Privacy Act 1993 and responding to complaints to the Privacy Commissioner.

Professional associations

• New Zealand Law Society

• Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association New Zealand Inc (RITANZ)

• New Zealand Insurance Law Association (NZILA)

• Young Insurance Professionals (YIPs) Australia & New Zealand Inc

• Auckland Women Lawyers’ Association (AWLA)