Kate has 25 years’ experience in civil litigation across a broad cross section of subject matters. She brings a proactive approach to litigation, concentrating on strategies that produce the best outcomes for her clients. She is tenacious in the pursuit of her client’s position. She has experience in a range of forums from tribunals to high court, court of appeal and supreme court matters. Her particular areas of expertise are:
Kate Dillon graduated with an LLB from the University of Otago in 1991 and was admitted to the New Zealand Bar in 1992.
From 1992 to 1996, she carried out general litigation work with supporting roles in High Court trials and sole conduct of District Court trials in family, civil and criminal.
She worked in the United Kingdom for the Department of Trade and Industry investigating company directors of insolvent companies with a view to issuing disqualification proceedings. She worked for a publicly listed company selling its global pharmaceutical business collating material from European business units for presentation to buyers in New York, USA.
From 1999, she specialised in insurance litigation working for two insurance litigation firms, Jones Fee and McElroys and as in house counsel for two major insurance companies, NZI and Vero.
From 2009 to 2015, she worked at Heaney and Partners where she had conduct of leaky home claims representing councils in the Weathertight Homes Tribunal, District and High Court and assisted senior council in complex high court claims, court of appeal and supreme court litigation. She represented councils in claims involving the issue of resource consent and LIMS, and public liability claims in the Land Valuation Tribunal, District Court and High Court. She has represented council in a number of mediations, and judicial settlement conferences.
In 2015, she commenced practice as a Barrister at William Martin Chambers (2015-2020) and more recently as a Barrister at FortyEight Shortland Barristers (2020-). Her practice has developed to include a broad cross section of subject matters including the conduct of civil, commercial and insurance litigation involving professional indemnity claims, director and shareholder disputes, construction, company, multi-party multi-unit litigation, territorial authority litigation, class-action claims, property (caveat and equitable claims) and employment matters.
She is a member of:
Recent Trial Experience:
Recent experience
