Paul Murray has extensive commercial litigation experience across a broad range of complex commercial disputes built up over the past 15 years. He has a particular focus on insolvency, security enforcement, debt recovery and receivership matters, as well as resolving construction, infrastructure, property-related disputes.
Paul can assist if you are:
- In need of advice on matters relating to Covid-19, including in relation to commercial leases, contractual obligations and the changes to the insolvency regime (‘safe harbour’ provision and debt hibernation scheme).
- A financier, investor or creditor who is owed money or holds security and is facing difficulties obtaining payment.
- A business with an actual or anticipated commercial dispute. This could include a contract dispute, governance issues, a negligence claim, a dispute between shareholders, an insurance dispute or a commercial dispute with a central or local government agency.
- A property owner or tenant involved in a dispute over land or property, including in relation to easements, caveats, leases, or sales/purchases.
- An owner, developer, contractor, engineer or project manager in the building/construction industry that requires advice or representation in relation to a dispute/litigation.
- An insolvency practitioner requiring advice or representation on any issue arising from a personal or corporate insolvency situation. This could include claims against directors for breach of duties, recovery of antecedent transactions, “trust busting”, recovery of prejudicial dispositions, claims against professional advisers, property related disputes and equitable and proprietary claims.
- A director or shareholder involved in a company that is facing financial difficulties, or has been placed into liquidation, receivership or administration.
Clients benefit from Paul’s direct, practical advice. He will work with you to understand your business and provide realistic solutions that work for you. He has the ability to digest complex factual scenarios, distil key legal issues and present each client’s case in a straightforward and convincing manner.
Paul has worked across the full range of formal dispute resolution procedures, from court litigation in the High and District Courts and the Court of Appeal to arbitration, adjudication and alternative dispute resolution processes. This means he can advise you on the best course of action, their pros and cons and navigate any process to ensure you achieve the best outcome.
Examples of Paul’s experience include:
- In 2019, acting for a contractor in an adjudication under the Construction Contracts Act in relation to a design and construction dispute.
- Successfully resolving a multi-party property dispute at mediation, including a claim against a lawyer (and their insurer).
- Acting for a complainant in a Law Society complaint against a former lawyer. The complaint was resolved at mediation.
- Obtaining an urgent without notice interim injunction in the High Court for shareholders of a tech company in the context of a complex shareholder dispute.
- Acting for a property owner to obtain an urgent without notice interim injunction in the District Court in relation to a boundary dispute.
- Providing opinions on various issues arising under commercial leases and agreement for sale and purchase.
- In November 2018, successfully acting for a property investor in High Court proceedings to remove a caveat registered over the titles of multiple commercial properties.
- Advising and acting for a range of clients in relation to bankruptcy and liquidation related matters.
- Appearing in the High Court in May 2018. The matter involved complex claims arising from the liquidation of a corporate trading trust. It included debt recovery claims, recovery of prejudicial dispositions under the Property Law Act 2007 and claims against the director for breach of duties. The case involved complex accounting, legal and trust issues.
- Attending a mediation on a multi-party matter involving complex security, proprietary and marshalling claims in March 2017. The matter involved caveat proceedings, substantive High Court proceedings and applications for freezing orders.
- Acting for liquidators in High Court proceedings against the company’s former accountant.
- Appearing as senior counsel in three civil appeals to the Court of Appeal in 2016. The appeals against High Court decisions related to the reconsideration of the application of witness immunity to expert witnesses in New Zealand, the application of the “bankruptcy exception” to the without prejudice rule, and an insolvent transaction claim.
- Successfully acting for a government entity on various claims by contractors and sub-contractors under construction contracts.
- Acting for the Inland Revenue Department in relation to a claim for significant unpaid tax arrears. The matter settled at a judicial settlement conference.
- Acting for a property developer in an arbitration involving claims against an engineering firm (and its insurer) for alleged defects in the civil engineering design of a residential property development. The matter was successfully resolved at mediation.
- Acting for one of the major trading banks, and other financial institutions such as finance companies, insurers and a factoring company, on loan and financing arrangements, security enforcement and recovery issues.
Before joining the independent bar, Paul was a partner at the leading litigation firm Meredith Connell.