Jeremy Johnson

BA, LLB (Hons) (Cant), LLM (Camb). Partner
Jeremy is an accomplished litigator, specialising in commercial, equity and trust law. He has an ability to quickly grasp complex factual and legal situations and provides incisive, commercially realistic, advice at short notice. He regularly appears before all Courts and specialises in complex dispute resolution. Jeremy received the Cleary Prize in 2009, for New Zealand’s most promising young legal practitioner; was the youngest counsel to appear before the Supreme Court (in 2008); and is regularly published in leading journals. Jeremy is a member of the Legislation Advisory Committee, which reviews proposed legislation for the Attorney-General and Parliament. He is the Vice-Chancellor (honorary legal advisor) of the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch and has previously served as a member of the Legal Aid Review Panel. He served as President, and is a life member, of the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council Inc. Jeremy has a BA and LLB (Hons) from the University of Canterbury and an LLM, with first class honours, from the University of Cambridge.
  • Acting as instructing solicitor on the high profile dispute involving the involvement of Cr. Aaron Keown in the appointment of the new Chief Executive for the Christchurch City Council
  • Acting successfully in New Zealand's leading case on the taking of evidence for use in a foreign country - Hagaman v Fairbank (2010) 20 PRNZ 68(CA)
  • Successfully appearing in the Supreme Court in leading trust case of Kain v Hutton [2008] NZSC 61
  • Successfully appearing in the Court of Appeal in leading insurance fraud case AMI v Devcich [2011] NZCA 266
  • Successfully obtaining without notice injunctions freezing defendants' assets.
  • Provided advice on the Securities Act that led to a successful prosecution by the Securities Commission.
  • Acted on a civil claim under the Securities Act resulting in a significant settlement.
  • Provided advice on insurance and other issues arising from the Canterbury earthquakes.
  • Heavy involvement in the high profile dispute about the building of a music school at the iconic Christchurch Arts Centre.
  • Provided advice on intellectual property issues, including involving breach of copyright and passing off.
  • F M Custodians Ltd v Pinot Rouge New Zealand Ltd (2011) 12 NZCPR 155
  • AMI Insurance Ltd v Devcich (2011) 16 ANZ Insurance Cases 61-895 (CA)
  • Hagaman v Fairbank (2010) 20 PRNZ 68 (CA)
  • Kain v Hutton [2008] 3 NZLR 589 (SCNZ)
  • Anglican Diocese of Christchurch
  • New Zealand Guardian Trust
  • Canterbury Mortgage Trust
  • ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited
  • Legislation Advisory Committee
  • Vice Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch
  • Ecclesiastical Law Society