The Best
Litigation and Dispute
Lawyers In Wellington

Defamation Lawyers

Peter McKnight and Ali Romanos are experienced barristers based in Wellington.
They are recognised experts in media law and defamation. They take instructions on most civil disputes.

They work with authors, publishers and producers to ensure safe publishing and broadcasting.

They guide individuals and businesses facing legal and public relations crises.

Peter is one of New Zealand’s most experienced media and defamation lawyers. He is an established trial counsel, having acted in a large number of first-instance hearings, with some eleven civil jury trials in the High Court.

At appellate level, Peter appears often in the Court of Appeal. He has previously appeared in the Supreme Court, the Privy Council, and the High Court of the Cook Islands.

For 30 years, Peter was a partner of Izard Weston, a boutique Wellington firm. There, Peter had a broad practice in dispute resolution and litigation. Over many years he represented media publishers across New Zealand, including Independent Newspapers Limited, Fairfax Media and Radio New Zealand.

Peter was also a prosecutor for the Motor Vehicle Dealers Institute and the Wellington Harbour Board.

In 2008, Peter became a barrister sole. At the bar, Peter’s practice centres on media law, advising and representing clients involved in court proceedings. Peter will take briefs in most areas of civil litigation, with expertise in trusts and estates, family law, contract and insurance issues.

In a typical week, Peter is managing litigation, taking instructions from solicitors and government departments, and appearing in Court.

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Ford Sumner Lawyers

Ford Sumner’s focus on building strong relationships is what makes us special. Our clients trust us to get it right; because we do, many of them have worked with us since we began.
Our team collaborates to provide expert, personal and individualised service. We’re responsive, with a can-do attitude, and we always bring our ‘A’ game.

Whether you’re an individual, SME, large corporate, or in the public sector, we have experience with clients like you. Our proven record in corporate, commercial, employment law, and dispute resolution, speaks for itself.
We’re a tight team with big capability. Get in touch, we’re here to help.

At Ford Sumner, our values show who we are, how we live and how we work. As a team, we’ve worked together to identify what’s important to us and why we are a firm that always does the best for our clients.

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Robinson Legal

Marty is a barrister and solicitor specialising in financial and general crime, with particular expertise in AML/CFT advocacy and advice. He advises reporting entities on deterring money launderers and financers of terrorism from exploiting their business and ensuring regulatory compliance. He also represents defendants incriminal and disciplinary proceedings, victims of financial scams and de-banking, and he also provides corporate governance advice.

His author royalties support two charities combating child slavery and child sexual abuse: Child Rescue New Zealand and Child ALERT (ECPAT NZ).

Since 2003 he has held roles investigating, prosecuting and defending financial crime and regulatory prosecutions, as well as litigation more generally. He started out at the United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office (2003), move to the Crown Solicitor’s Office, Christchurch (2009), the Public Defence Service, Wellington (2011) and the Department of Internal Affairs (2015), where he oversaw the Department’s litigation, focusing on prosecution work, child sexual abuse material cases, AML/CFT enforcement, and supporting the Department’s regulation of the AML/CFT regulatory system including supporting legislative amendments.

Marty has been counsel (or investigative lawyer) in a significant number and variety of financial crime cases involving sums up to $NZ500M in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Marty is keenly interested in supporting the justice system, furthering domestic understanding of AML/CFT policy and regulatory systems, promoting business processes that effectively deter criminal exploitation, and supporting New Zealand’s exemplary rankings on the various global corruption and transparency indices.

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Frontline Law

Matthew’s extensive career in both the New Zealand Defence Force and the New Zealand Police has equipped him with a wealth of experience in a wide range of roles. From serving as a technician and weapons engineer to working in frontline policing and specialist tactical teams, Matthew’s diverse background has given him unique insights into high-pressure situations and the legal complexities surrounding them. His work in police intelligence and, ultimately, as a military lawyer, provided him with a robust understanding of legal processes across various sectors.

Matthew has appeared in numerous tribunals and courts, advocating on behalf of clients with a commitment to delivering the best possible legal solutions. His approach to legal challenges is shaped by his comprehensive background in both military and civilian law enforcement, allowing him to approach each case with strategic precision and a calm, considered mindset.

Driven by his genuine care for people, Matthew founded Frontline Law with a mission to use his knowledge and experience to achieve the best outcomes for his clients. He focuses not only on solving legal issues but also on helping clients successfully continue their careers and maintain stability in their lives. Whether it’s defending a client in a tribunal or guiding them through a complex legal matter, Matthew’s goal is to provide personalized, client-centered solutions that go beyond the immediate legal challenge.

Supported by a team of talented and dedicated lawyers, Matthew ensures that each client receives the attention and expertise they deserve. The first step in getting support is to talk with one of the team about your situation, and together, we will explore the options available to you.

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McWilliam Tyree Lawyers

Leona has been a Director of McWilliam Tyree (previously McWilliam Rennie) for 15 years. Prior to that she worked in London, the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa in all areas of family law.

She specialises in all areas of family law practice and also has a background in areas of criminal and general practice. She is an experienced litigator and undertaking complex relationship property matters involving trusts, companies and economic disparity/maintenance issues. She is also regularly involved in difficult care of children proceedings which include issues of relocation, family violence, addiction and mental health concerns. Leona also regularly represents children in the Family Court.

Leona lectures for the College of Law in their LLB Masters programme in family law practice management. She is a co-author of “Relationship Property and Adult Maintenance” published by Thomson Reuters and has previously authored for Westlaw in the area of spousal maintenance. Leona has lectured for Whitireia Polytech in family law and has also presented seminars for Legalwise in relation to capacity and the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act. Leona is also a member of the New Zealand Law Society Courts Committee and Early Resolution Complaints Committee and a member of both the New Zealand Family Law Section and the Wellington Family Courts Association.

Leona has a focus on cost effective resolution for clients, which ideally preserves relationships and enables clients to move forward from stressful situations.

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Succeed Legal

We are business, trust and private client law experts. We are able to offer the same level of expertise, quality and client service as a big firm in a smaller, more personal and cost-effective environment. We are professional, but we are also down to earth and practical people who enjoy working with clients to solve their problems and achieve their goals.

Lloyd is an experienced lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in a wide range of property, environmental, commercial and regulatory environments. He has worked in large commercial law firms and as in-house counsel.

Lloyd specialises in advising businesses and their owners on a range of commercial and property matters including acquisitions and disposals, leasing and subdivisions. He also advises individuals on wide range of personal property matters.

What clients love about Lloyd

Clients love Lloyd for his pragmatic advice and ability to provide expert, tailored legal solutions.

Outside work

Lloyd is married with four children and, despite graduating 20 years ago, is still playing football for his University club.

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Tuitala Law Limited

We are a team of lawyers with over 20 years of combined legal experience.

Who We Are
Tuitala Law began as a Wellington law firm servicing all areas in Wellington, New Zealand. But has now expanded its services to Hamilton and serving the Waikato region.

‘Tuitala’ is derived from the Tongan word ‘faith or believe in the word.’ It reflects our mission to practice law with guidance from our faith.

Since (2022), we’ve helped individuals, businesses, families, and people from all backgrounds attain sound legal advice. We believe everyone should have access to help when faced with legal difficulties, and our goal is to equip people with proper legal knowledge to help them in difficult times.

With over 20 years of combined experience, our team has worked on many legal cases ranging from criminal, family, migration, and employee disputes. If you’re looking for a specialist legal firm in Wellington, our lawyers are well-equipped to manage any legal issues you may have.

From our humble inception, Tuitala Law is now recognised as a leading law firm with a strong reputation in courts and focus on the well being of our clients so that they come out better off. We pride ourselves on our dedication and commitment to our clients as people.

See our dedicated specialist team of lawyers.

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Luke Cunningham Clere

In 1936 William Cunningham was appointed Wellington Crown Solicitor. He was an exceptional man. He was in command of the Wellington Regiment at Gallipoli, then commanded the Regiment on the Western Front. In World War Two, as Major General, he led the New Zealand forces in the Pacific. After he returned to the firm he was elected President of the New Zealand Law Society. Sir William Cunningham was knighted for his services to law in 1955.

We’re extremely proud of our history, those who founded the firm and their belief in the power of the law to protect and promote the public interest. We hold those same beliefs today, helping clients throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

We have remained as the office of the Wellington Crown Solicitor since Sir William’s appointment. While our core business is the prosecution of criminal offences, we also act on a range of civil proceedings and advisory work, focusing on public law, human rights issues, professional discipline and regulatory enforcement. In April 2022 we opened an office in Auckland – Tāmaki Makaurau to support our growing national client base.

Ours is a principled approach and it means we attract outstanding legal minds. Our highly experienced team work with individuals and public entities in true partnership. We are focused, flexible, determined and committed.

We’ve always tried to reflect what’s great about Aotearoa New Zealand – hard work, a sense of community, going in to bat for what we believe in, and a straight up approach. We embrace the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Ao Māori, we’re proud to support the rainbow community and first had an equal gender split in our partnership in 2016. We’re a team with diverse perspectives which adds to our strength.

In 2022 we launched our pro-bono practice. We have partnered with the RSA, Fencing NZ, Community Law Wellington & Hutt Valley, the NZ arm of a major international children’s charity, VERI-Mi and others to use our knowledge and skill to help those in our community who need it. In 2024, we became founding signatories to the Framework for Collaborative Pro Bono, an innovative, profession-led initiative dedicated to supporting and promoting pro bono within law firms across Aotearoa..

We are net carbon zero certified by Toitū Environcare. This programme requires us to meet and exceed international standards and best practice, including ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol. It also means our carbon footprint, emission reductions and offsets have been independently verified.

We always give our best to become trusted advisors to our clients, delivering great work that delivers strong outcomes and elevates the public good.

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Gabor Law

With an extensive corporate law background, Gabor Law offers a unique perspective on resolving insurance claims and civil disputes.

Dr Emma Gabor is the principal of Gabor Law. Emma worked for 7 years in a national law firm before moving in-house at New Zealand’s largest insurance company where she was Claims Counsel for 5 years. She understands the inner workings of an insurance company, and lives and breathes insurance. In 2022, she completed a PhD in insurance law with Victoria University of Wellington focusing on natural disasters in New Zealand, and insurance arrangements for multi-unit buildings.

Emma has been a lawyer for 16 years, and has assisted many clients with resolving civil disputes, negligence claims, commercial disputes and professional complaints. She has negotiated and settled hundreds of disputes.

Emma is involved in a number of associations being the co-president of the Women in Insurance network in Wellington, and the Convenor of the Independent Practitioners Committee, a Law Society committee which caters for small firms and sole practitioners in Wellington. She is also a member of the New Zealand Law Society, Wellington Women Lawyers and the New Zealand Insurance Law Association. She is a regular presenter for IBANZ, the professional body representing the interests of fire and general insurance brokers, and is a member of their Experts Panel.

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