Bell Gully litigator David Cooper has been named 2016 Disputes Star of the Year for New Zealand at the Asialaw Asia-Pacific Dispute Resolution Awards.
Cooper, a commercial litigator with expertise in company and securities law, competition and contractual disputes, has worked on high-profile matters, including the class action brought against Feltex Carpets directors by a group of investors.
“I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to appear in some of New Zealand’s largest civil cases over recent years,” Cooper told
NZ Lawyer.
“These have included major trials for
NZX, Todd Energy, the Feltex directors, Pernod Ricard and Air New Zealand.”
Cooper was awarded at a ceremony in Hong Kong earlier this week, honouring the top dispute resolution practitioners in 14 jurisdictions.
Looking ahead, Cooper said New Zealand is likely to see continued growth in regulatory litigation and class actions.
“One interesting trend is the growing influence of litigation funders,” he said.
“This undoubtedly has benefits in many cases, and can provide access to justice for individual claimants which might not otherwise be available.
“But we’re also seeing some of the risks which can arise with funded claims and it will remain interesting to see how the courts seek to balance these competing interests.”
