Rob Coltman

My expertise is in commercial litigation and dispute resolution with a focus on insurance, regulatory, construction, competition investigations, insolvency and recovery actions. In the insurance sector I advise insurers on professional risks claims including the defence of statutory prosecutions, a broad range of fire and general claims, as well as life and health insurance.

I am recognised as a recommended lawyer by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022 directory for my work in insurance, with a client commenting "Rob Coltman has excellent insurance law breadth and depth, and is both responsive and agile."

In the regulatory area, I regularly defend prosecutions under health and safety legislation, principally on instructions from insurers and am a former member of the Auckland District Law Society Health and Safety Law Committee. I am an experienced practitioner in the field of enforceable undertakings or EU’s (a new sentencing option under the HSWA – the main H&S legislation in NZ).

Outside of the insurance sector, I act in construction disputes, insolvency disputes and have undertaken recovery work for a range of corporates and institutions. I also advise clients on contentious competition law matters, providing guidance and strategies around Commerce Commission investigations and a range of consumer law issues.

Recent work includes acting:

• For a leading stevedoring company in respect of Maritime New Zealand and WorkSafe investigations.
• For a variety of PCBU’s in relation to serious injury and fatality accidents including private prosecutions.
• For parties under investigation by the Commerce Commission and defending subsequent prosecutions.
• In recovery proceedings in a variety of sectors such as marine, construction and insolvency.
• In construction disputes ranging from inner city commercial buildings to superyachts, through either High Court proceedings, arbitration or mediation.
• For insurers in a number of High Court proceedings in the Canterbury Earthquake list.
• For liquidators in the Court of Appeal in respect of a voidable transaction claim.

I co-lead the firm’s membership of Global Insurance Law Connect (GILC). GILC is a formal alliance of leading insurance law experts comprised of high-performing independent firms across the world that specialise in insurance law. GILC delivers a global reach and depth of service that no one firm can deliver on its own. I am also a contributing author to legal texts published by Chambers and Partners.