Gerald is a Senior Associate in Simpson Grierson's Litigation Department.  He specialises in commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution.  

Gerald's areas of expertise include contract, company, energy, insolvency, insurance, pharmaceuticals and construction disputes.  He regularly assists clients in complex negotiations, mediations and judicial settlement conferences.  He has experience representing clients in the District Court and High Court both in New Zealand and in London, and in the Court of Appeal.

Gerald has been in practice since 2001.  From 2004 to 2008 he practised in England at Zurich Insurance plc and a leading English practice.  Before that he worked in the litigation department at another large New Zealand firm.  This included a secondment as in-house counsel to the government's pharmaceutical buying agency, PHARMAC.

United Kingdom Experience

• Acting for Lexicon in the defence of sub-prime securities claims (£10 million) pursued by Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Birmingham Midshires and GMAC.
• Acting for Powell Tolner in engineering and construction proceedings concerning multiple units in a commercial property development (£1.5 million).
• Advising Zurich on a high value indemnity claim (US $7 million) involving policy interpretation, breach of warranty and cross-border fraud issues (A-G of Zambia v Meer Care & Desai & Ors [2007] EWHC 952 (Ch)).
• Advising Norwich Union on insolvency and policy coverage issues following the administration of a large insured.

New Zealand Experience

• Advising the receivers of Lombard Finance & Investments Limited on potential creditors' remedies and security enforcement.
• Acting for the liquidators of Seafresh New Zealand Limited, in proceedings to set aside voidable charges under the Companies Act (Re Seafresh New Zealand Limited, Miller J, High Court, Wellington, CIV 2002-485-1331, 3 August 2004).
• Acting for Swift Energy New Zealand Limited in proceedings relating to the transfer of petroleum exploration permit interests.
• Acting for Greymouth Petroleum in proceedings against NZOG concerning the operation of a petroleum exploration and development joint venture.
• Representing the Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) in injunction proceedings brought by GlaxoSmithKline.

• Admitted (2007) as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England & Wales
• Admitted (2001) as a Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
• British Insurance Law Association - Member