Phillip Cornegé

Phillip is an experienced litigator, providing advice and representation on a range of civil, criminal, and public law matters.

He also acts for defendants in regulatory and professional disciplinary proceedings, and before sporting (including racing) disciplinary bodies.

Phillip graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in 2004 with a BA/LLB(Hons). In 2003 he received the Sir Richard Wild Memorial Cup, and John Thomas Prize, as winner of the Law School’s advocacy competition.

Between 2004 and 2009, Phillip worked in the litigation departments at Bell Gully and Minter Ellison Rudd Watts. He worked on a range of commercial matters, including employment, contract, competition, and public law, disputes. He spent time on secondment at both the Department of Corrections and BNZ.

From 2009 to 2014, Phillip worked at Almao Douch, the office of the Crown Solicitor at Hamilton. He prosecuted serious criminal offending on behalf of the Crown and several regulatory authorities. This ranged from serious violent, drug, and sexual offending, to tax offences, breaches of the Companies Act 1993, and fraud. Phillip also maintained a busy civil practice; he regularly acted for the Official Assignee on personal and corporate insolvency matters, and for the Commissioner of Police in civil forfeiture proceedings. He was appointed a Senior Crown Prosecutor in 2013.

Phillip commenced practice as a barrister sole in February 2014. He is a member of Riverbank Chambers in Hamilton.

Phillip is a member of the NSW Bar Association and RITANZ. Phillip is a Council Member of the New Zealand Bar Association and Deputy Convenor of the National Standards Committee Number 2. He is a member of the Technology and Training and Committees of the New Zealand Bar Association.

Phillip sits as Chair of the Judicial Committee for Basketball New Zealand and Equestrian Sports New Zealand. He is also a member of the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand Legal Assistance Panel.

Phillip is a member of the Abuse in Care Inquiry Legal Assistance Panel.

 
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Career highlights

Insolvency

Phillip one of New Zealand’s leading personal insolvency lawyers. He has acted for the Official Assignee for 12 years.

Māori legal issues

Phillip has worked on several matters affecting Māori before the High Court, Māori Land Court, and Waitangi Tribunal.

Public/administrative

Phillip has acted on several public law matters, including for Rotorua District Council in a rating valuation dispute (in the Land Valuation Tribunal, High Court, and Court of Appeal), the former chair of Te Whakakitenga o Waikato (the Waikato Tainui tribal parliament) who sought judicial review of a decision to remove her from that role (Te Whakakitenga O Waikato Inc v Martin [2017] NZAR 548), and a commercial go-karting operation which sought judicial review of decisions by WorkSafe to require the installation of seatbelts and roll bars (Off Road New Zealand (1992) Ltd v The Machinery Inspector and WorkSafe New Zealand [2019] NZAR 1712).

Trust and estate disputes

Phillip has acted on range of trust and estate disputes (including representing legally aided clients on Family Protection Act matters).

Commercial

Phillip regularly acts in commercial matters, including successfully defending a complex debt recovery claim by Crown Asset Management, arising from lending by South Canterbury Finance (Crown Asset Management Ltd v PJ & MJ Cameron [2015] NZHC 98).


 

Areas of practice

Phillip accepts instructions on a wide range of matters, which include:

  • Civil and commercial litigation, including:

Banking and finance

Company and shareholder disputes

Conflict of laws

Contract

Equity and trusts

Estates (including testamentary promises and family protection claims)

Personal and corporate insolvency (including cross-border insolvency)

Property disputes (including landlord and tenant disputes)

Trade practices

  • Proceeds of crime (under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 and Sentencing Act 2002)

  • Criminal, including fraud

  • Employment, including health and safety

  • Māori land/trusts

  • Privacy and official information

  • Professional disciplinary proceedings

  • Public and administrative (including judicial review)

  • Regulatory

  • Relationship property

  • Sport/Racing, including disciplinary proceedings

  • Urgent injunctive relief.