Iva is a specialist in commercial litigation. Her particular expertise is in large-scale company and commercial disputes, regulatory investigations and insurance litigation. Iva is listed for commercial and regulatory disputes in the Dispute Resolution section of the Chambers & Partners directory. Recent client and peer comments in the Chambers & Partners and Legal500 directories include: “incredibly impressive and very highly thought of”, “smart, very responsive, practical”, “makes efficient use of team resources and provides great outcomes”.
Iva represents clients in civil proceedings, regulatory investigations and prosecutions, and appears both in the courts and in arbitrations including as lead or sole counsel.
Iva has been in practice for over 15 years. A partner at Gilbert Walker since joining in 2016, Iva came to us after six years as a senior litigation associate at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts. Prior to that, she worked as a criminal barrister assisting Paul Davison QC and as a Judges’ Clerk at the Auckland High Court.
Iva is a member of the NZ Insurance Law Association, Auckland Women Lawyers’ Association, International Law Association and NZ Federation of Graduate Women.
In 2020, Iva was appointed to the panel of independent lawyers providing assistance to those participating in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions in Aoteoroa New Zealand.
LLB (Hons) (Auckland) LLM (Cambridge)
Admitted to the Bar in 2004
acting for a major bank in defending a litigation funded class action brought by investors following the collapse of Ross Asset Management, a financial adviser revealed to have been running New Zealand’s largest Ponzi scheme
acting for PwC in proceedings arising from the collapse of CBL Insurance group of companies
regularly acting for companies and individuals in connection with regulatory investigations and proceedings brought by the Commerce Commission, Financial Markets Authority, Serious Fraud Office, Reserve Bank of New Zealand and other regulators
regularly advising insurers on indemnity issues and defending claims against their insureds relating to professional liability, statutory liability, public/product liability, directors and officers’ insurance as well as property and general insurance
acting for a major professional services firm in relation to civil claims and regulatory investigations following the collapse of a listed company causing significant losses to investors
acting for a New Zealand subsidiary of an overseas-listed company in the first civil penalty proceeding brought by the Financial Markets Authority under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009
acted for a real estate agency in defending a claim under the Fair Trading Act 1986 alleging misrepresentations as to the stock carrying capacity of a farming property
acting for a national law firm in defending a claim brought by a former client for losses resulting from an allegedly defective employee incentive scheme
defended a firm of accountants from a claim brought by investors following the collapse of a group of companies, alleging misleading and deceptive conduct in relation to preparation and distribution of the group’s financial accounts
acting for a derivatives issuer and the New Zealand subsidiary of a Hong Kong-listed company in the first civil penalty proceeding brought by the Financial Markets Authority under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2019
acted for a fund manager in a high profile and market leading proceeding brought by the Financial Markets Authority alleging market manipulation - Financial Markets Authority v Warminger [2017] NZHC 327 and [2017] NZHC 1471
acted for a large national supplier in relation to a Commerce Commission investigation into the promotion and advertising of building products
acting for banking, financial and lending institutions in responding to investigations by the Commerce Commission into alleged breaches of disclosure requirements under the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003
advising financial institutions on conduct and culture issues arising from the Australian Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry and the Conduct and Culture Inquiry carried out by the Financial Markets Authority and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand
acted for a water filtration company in a Commerce Commission prosecution alleging unsubstantiated and misleading claims in breach of the Fair Trading Act 1986
acted for a technology company in an investigation and prosecution brought by the Commerce Commission for breaches of disclosure obligations under the Fair Trading Act 1986
acted for certain directors, officers and managers of Pike River Coal Limited in the Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine tragedy
regularly acting for companies and individuals in connection with regulatory investigations and proceedings brought by the Commerce Commission, Financial Markets Authority, Serious Fraud Office, Reserve Bank of New Zealand and other regulator
acting for a major bank in relation to a litigation funded class action brought by investors following the collapse of Ross Asset Management, a financial adviser revealed to have been running New Zealand’s largest Ponzi scheme
defended a firm of accountants from a claim brought by investors alleging misleading and deceptive conduct in relation to preparation and distribution of financial accounts for a group of companies which collapsed
advising clients and industry bodies on strategic and legal risks arising from class actions and funded claims
acting for an international insurance broker in respect of claims arising from the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake
advising an insurer on indemnity and liability issues arising from discharges of slash, logging debris and waste by forestry companies following a major storm event near Tolaga Bay in June 2018
regularly advising insurers on indemnity issues and defending claims against their insureds relating to professional liability, statutory liability, public/product liability, directors and officers’ insurance as well as property and general insurance
regularly acting for insured professionals such as lawyers and accountants in defending sensitive and high value claims and procuring their resolution on a confidential basis
representing lawyers facing complaints to the New Zealand Law Society and disciplinary proceedings before the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal
regularly advising insurers on indemnity issues and defending claims against their insureds relating to professional liability, statutory liability, public/product liability, and directors and officers’ insurance
acting for a glass products company in relation to an investigation and prosecution brought by WorkSafe arising out of a workplace accident resulting in serious injury to a worker
successfully represented a client under investigation by WorkSafe for breaches of the Health and Safety At Work Act in relation to an accident arising out of use of earthmoving equipment, which has resulted in no charges being laid
acted for an employee of a transport company in relation to a WorkSafe investigation arising out of a fatal bus crash
acting for corporations and individuals, across a wide range of industries, including construction, transport, manufacturing, forestry and mining, who are subject to WorkSafe investigations and prosecutions, and inquiries
acting for overseas-based beneficiaries of a multi-million dollar trust in relation to removal and retirement of a trustee and the trustee's security over foreign trust assets
acting for a beneficiary of high value family trusts in proceedings raising complex issues of capacity and undue influence in the context of testamentary dispositions
acted for an executor of a deceased estate seeking to set aside a transfer of an insurance policy, involving issues of capacity, undue influence and broker liability
