Patrick W.F. Wilson MANAGING PARTNER
LLB (Victoria University of Wellington), Admitted to the Bar 1979

 

Patrick (Pat) Wilson joined Stace Hammond in 1980. He is Managing Partner of the Firm.
 

Pat provides corporate legal advice principally to banking and finance clients. He has had extensive dealings at the policy and regulation level with Government departments, principally the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (formerly the Ministry of Economic Development), Treasury and the Inland Revenue. Pat has made personal representations on behalf of clients to Ministers under successive Governments and to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand at senior level.
 

For over 15 years from the early 1980's Pat assisted claimants in various Waitangi Tribunal claims and with the Office of Treaty Settlements. Pat was lead advisor to one of the claimants leading up to the 1980 seven Maori Council settlements.
 

Pat has also represented a client’s interests at a senior level before the United States Department of Defense in Washington D.C. and has advised on diverse US trade compliance and structuring matters including offshore companies.
 

Pat is a past member of the (then) Hamilton District Law Society Taxation Committee and is a director, mostly as Chairman, of a number of privately owned companies involved in such diverse areas as financial services, consultancy, intellectual property based product development and sales, equity funding and internet services.
 

Pat for over 15 years was a director of a charitable Foundation and chairman of its allocations committee.
 

Murray D. Grant PARTNER
LLB, (University of Otago), Admitted to the Bar 1982

 

Murray was admitted in 1982 and he had several years of commercial litigation in London. Murray joined Stace Hammond in 1989 and became a partner in 1994.
 

Murray heads the Stace Hammond litigation team of five lawyers. He is predominantly involved in supervision, training, client development, risk management and practice development.
 

Following many years on the Board of Trustees of St John Midland Region and being active with other charities, Murray now chairs Life Education Trust, Hamilton.
 

Giles H. J. Brant PARTNER
B.Com, LLB (University of Otago), AAMINZ, Admitted to the Bar 1990

 

• Commercial
• Insurance
• Banking and Finance
• Property
• Court and arbitration practices and procedures
• Mediation
• Trusts and estate
• Employment law
• Resource Management

Giles Brant has been with Stace Hammond since 1991 and was made a partner in 1998. Giles’ principal area of practice is dispute resolution in the following areas: commercial, civil, property, insolvency and employment law. Giles also advises financial institutions on security realisations and strategy. Giles has experience in all forms of dispute resolution including negotiation, mediation, arbitration and Court litigation.
 

Giles serves on the Waikato Bay of Plenty District Law Society Standards Committee, is a member of the Vestry of the Cathedral Church of St Peter, and is a member of the Statutes Revision Committee of the Anglican Waikato Diocese.
 

Paul Connolly PARTNER
LLB (University of Auckland), Admitted to the Bar 1979

 

• Corporate and Commercial
• Banking and Finance
• Property
• Relationship Property

Paul has been a partner of Stace Hammond since 2001 and is manager of the Auckland office.
 

He lived in Australia from 1980 to 2000 and practiced in property, banking and finance, personal injuries litigation, workman’s compensation and criminal. He is admitted to the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory, the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia.
 

His areas of practice currently include banking and finance, company incorporation and structuring, property transactions, subdivision, partnerships, commercial contracts and conveyancing, franchising, Securities Act compliance, Personal Property and Securities Act, trusts, relationship property, mergers and acquisitions and leasing.
 

Kalev J. Crossland PARTNER
BA, LLB (University of Canterbury). LLM (First Hons), M.Com.Law (First Hons), M.Tax.S (Hons) (University of Auckland).

 

• Commercial
• Insolvency
• Trade Practices
• Negligence
• Securities Enforcement
• Insurance
• Banking and Finance
• Intellectual Property
• Resource Management

Kalev has worked principally as a commercial and civil litigator since being admitted to the Bar, except for two years where Kalev argued constitutional cases in another jurisdiction. He has conducted many High Court commercial trials, injunctions, and appeals in the Court of Appeal. He prepared arguments for Privy Council appeals and has appeared before the Supreme Court. Kalev is now developing his trial experience into contentious tax matters, copyright/IP cases and rural related disputes. He has assisted clients in many commercial mediations.
 

In December 2010 Kalev completed writing the almost 600 page leading New Zealand text on bankruptcy law which is one of the volumes of Laws of New Zealand published by LexisNexis. He also wrote several chapters of Heath & Whale on Insolvency published by LexisNexis (including a chapter on hive downs). Kalev is the author of the New Zealand chapter in Collier International Insolvency Guide published by Lexis in the United States.
 

Kalev chairs the McKenzie Centre Trust Board (special needs children) and is associated with the Waikato Maori Women's Refuge.
 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

• Commercial
• Banking and Finance
• Property
• Trusts and Estates Planning

Emma joined Stace Hammond in 2002. She is involved in providing general commercial advice to a wide range of clients with a particular focus on advice to financial institutions and borrowers. She provides advice to a number of financiers on all aspects of lending, from structuring the loans and securities, through management of the loans and security realisation in the event of a default. Emma has been involved in property transactions from residential sales to large commercial transactions, including complex mortgagee sales.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Litigation in the following:

• Insolvency
• Commercial
• Banking and Finance
• Insurance
• Contracts
• Property
• Trusts and Estates
• Traffic

Phil joined Stace Hammond in 2000 from the Insolvency & Trustee Service where he held the warrant of Deputy Assignee for twelve years.

Phil’s principal area of practice is insolvency, both corporate and personal. He has experience in dispute resolution including negotiation, mediation and Court litigation, principally in the following areas: civil; commercial; insolvency and property. Phil also provides advice in traffic matters, with a particular emphasis on heavy traffic.

Phil authored two chapters of Heath & Whale on Insolvency published by LexisNexis.

Phil currently serves on the Hillcrest High School Board of Trustees and until recently was involved in both rugby and cricket administration at High School level. He has a keen interest in most mainstream sports.  He runs and cycles when he can to maintain fitness.