Nick Laing

Senior Associate

Nick is a litigation lawyer, practising in civil and commercial litigation. Nick practises across a broad range of litigation matters, resolving disputes in the tribunals, in mediations and arbitrations, and in all levels of the Courts.

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In the insurance sector Nick advises insurers and insureds on indemnity and defence issues, particular for statutory liability claims in the health and safety space. Nick has a particular focus on professional liability claims for health professionals.

Nick is a medico-legal expert. Nick acts for health service providers and health practitioners alike in health practitioner discipline and negligence claims (including before the Coroner, Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, Health and Disability Commissioner, Privacy Commissioner and Ombudsmen). Nick also regularly advises on medico-legal aspects including duty of care, patient consent, privacy and treatment issues, and applied aspects of intensivist treatment.

Nick advises health service providers with complex inquiries into patient care and treatment and has presented nationally on end-of-life care matters, including in relation to advance care planning and the End of Life Choice Act.

Nick has a specialist national alcohol licensing practice, including advising licensees and industry participants on contentious matters such as opposed licensing hearings and appeals, and provisional local alcohol policy appeals. Nick also advises on business structures for compliance with alcohol licensing legislation and regularly appears before the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority and District Licensing Committees nationally.

Recent highlights

  • Acting on a complex civil fraud recovery in the High Court.

  • Acting for crown entities in relation to alleged breaches of fiduciary duty.

  • Advising a crown entity on medical decision-making frameworks, including relating to advance care planning and advance directives.

  • Defending a thoroughbred horse-racing trainer in a health and safety prosecution.

  • Leading subrogated recovery litigation arising out of defective building work after the Christchurch earthquakes.

  • Advising health service providers in Privacy Commissioner, Ombudsman and Health and Disability Commissioner investigations.

Nick's insights

Jonathan Scragg and Nick Laing contribute New Zealand chapter in RPC law and jurisdiction in insurance and reinsurance contracts comparative guide

7 August 2023

International Comparative Legal Guide - Insurance & Reinsurance 2022 (11th Edition)

10 March 2022

Chambers and Partners Insurance & Reinsurance 2021 Global Practice Guide

27 January 2021

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He tāngata

  • Trustee of Garin College Hostel Trust and Garin College Education Trust.

  • Member of Audit and Risk Committee of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington.

Excellence

  • Nick holds a Master of Laws (with first class honours) in Litigation and Dispute Resolution from the University of Auckland.

  • Nick received the first in class award for Insurance Law, taken by Professor Rob Merkin.

Enterprising

  • Seconded to Maritime New Zealand immediately following the grounding of the MV Rena.

  • Seconded to a large multinational IT services provider as their in-house counsel.

  • Member of the Institute of Directors.

  • Member of the New Zealand Insurance Law Association.

  • Member of Advance Care Planning International.

  • Contributing author to legal texts on insurance and reinsurance published by Chambers and Partners, Thomson Reuters, and the ICLG.

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