Taylor Wood

Senior Associate, Auckland

Contact

+64 9 916 8744 taylor.wood@bellgully.com

Expertise

Taylor is a trusted commercial litigator with particular experience in regulatory matters, competition and consumer law.

Taylor is a senior associate in Bell Gully's industry-leading litigation team. She has vast experience in competition and fair trade, consumer law, and product liability, as well as construction law, corporate and contractual disputes, and general civil disputes. Taylor has also acted in leasing and insurance matters.

Taylor acts for a wide variety of clients across contentious matters including in regulatory investigations, court proceedings, arbitration, mediation and adjudications. Her experience includes large-scale litigation in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Taylor also provides advice to local and overseas clients on non-contentious regulatory and consumer law matters including around product compliance, marketing, e-commerce, terms of trade and jurisdiction issues. She is developing particular expertise in novel and highly‑regulated consumer products, and has an interest in assisting overseas businesses bring new products to the New Zealand market.

In addition to acting in construction contract adjudications and defects proceedings, Taylor gained front line construction experience while on secondment to Fletcher Construction and based on‑site during the terminal expansion project at Auckland International Airport.

Taylor previously interned for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She then completed her training with Norton Rose Fulbright in Toronto, Canada between 2011 and 2012, which included a secondment to a major North American auto manufacturer.

Qualifications

BCom Dalhousie University

Juris Doctor University of Western Ontario

2012 Admitted Ontario, Canada

2014 Admitted New Zealand

Professional experience

2010-2012 Norton Rose Fulbright LLP Toronto, Canada

2009 United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

Competition law proceedings

Acting in Commerce Act proceedings between two international competitors in the High Court.

Proceedings between competitors involving an alleged "team move"

Acted for a technology company in High Court proceedings with a competitor involving departing employees and IP rights.

Regulatory investigations

Advised clients in a number of regulatory investigations, including by the Financial Markets Authority, Commerce Commission, NZX and Takeovers Panel.

Financial product provider and customer remediation

Advising a financial product provider on conduct and customer remediation.

New product launch regulatory and consumer aspects

Advised a large global corporate on various regulatory and consumer aspects of a new product launch, and providing ongoing support.

Carter Holt Harvey product liability proceedings

Advised Carter Holt Harvey in product liability proceedings brought by the Ministry of Education for allegedly defective cladding installed on 880 school buildings.

Adjudication in significant infrastructure, commercial and housing projects

Advised property developers and head contractors in complex Construction Contracts Act adjudication proceedings, including on extensions of time, liquidated damages, remediation and other claims.

Portfolio transfer dispute

Advised an insurer in a dispute around transfer of a risk portfolio.

Commercial leasing disputes

Advised an airline regarding a facilities leasing dispute at Auckland Airport, as well as an international hotel chain around a hotel in central Christchurch.