Jason Goodall KC

• LLB (Hons)/BCom – University of Auckland

Jason is a highly experienced advocate sought after to lead complex commercial cases, particularly in the areas of financial services, insurance, insolvency, professional negligence, commercial property, and trusts.

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He has acted for numerous public companies, large corporations, insurers, government agencies, local authorities, and high net-worth individuals. He has also represented clients in most of New Zealand's largest class action cases in recent years, including the CBL, Southern Response, James Hardie, Intueri and Toyota class actions.

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Jason is listed as a leading silk in the major legal directories, where he has been described as “exceptionally intelligent”,“incredibly articulate” and having “excellent commercial judgement”(Legal 500), as well as “outstanding”, “unflappable in court”, with an “outstanding legal mind” (Chambers Asia Pacific).

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Jason graduated from the University of Auckland in 2003, placing second overall in his year and receiving numerous prizes and awards. He clerked for Sir Peter Blanchard in the Court of Appeal and then worked as a senior commercial litigator at Russell McVeagh and Slaughter & May (London). He moved to the independent bar in 2010 upon his return from London and took silk in 2022. He has presented many papers at law conferences and is an editor of leading texts on property law, including Hinde McMorland & Sim Land Law in New Zealand.

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Jason has also been admitted to practice in Samoa and has appeared multiple times in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in Samoa.

Jason has been counsel in over 100 published court judgments, with hundreds of further claims settled without trial or hearing. The following is a sample of cases that Jason has led in recent years: 

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Financial services and securities

Acting for Westpac in a $50 million civil fraud case; acting for Pyne Gould Corporation in a $20 million financing dispute with Bath Street Capital; defending Vector in a securities claim; defending high-profile investor George Kerr in a $65 million claim by BNZ; defending one of the directors of Intueri Education Group in a $70 million securities class action; acting for First Mortgage Custodians in complex recovery proceedings; acting for Japanese Itochu Corporation in a security dispute.

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General commercial 

Defending 25 Toyota dealerships throughout New Zealand in the Toyota class action, involving claims relating to 25,000 vehicles; acting for rich-lister Karl Ye in a $30 million JV claim; acting for CPB Contractors in its dispute with Rau Paenga over $450 million of cost overruns on the Christchurch convention centre; acting for Maurice Blackburn to intervene on the Southern Response class action; defending the former president of the Oceania Football Confederation against fiduciary claims; acting for the Waikato River Authority in a contract dispute; defending the board of Leigh Fisheries to resist an injunction seeking to prevent a $90 million trade sale; defending a substantial construction arbitral award against from challenge by the Samoan Government; acting for a New Zealand distributor in an international arbitration appeal in California.

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Insolvency 

Acting for the liquidators of CBL Corporation in defending two shareholder class actions and two FMA proceedings, and separately bringing claims against the directors, with total combined claims exceeding $900 million; acting for the Australian liquidators of Probis Financial Services to recover missing funds exceeding US$100 million; acting for liquidators in a claim against the Wallace Group following a major bush fire; acting for the CEO of Hawkins Group in steps taken by the liquidators; appointed as litigation guardian by the High Court for the former liquidator of the Property Ventures group in a dispute with the current liquidator. 

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Torts and professional liability

Defending the Hastings District Council in a negligence claim; defending Fletcher Building in a product liability action; advising PGG Wrightson on a product liability claim; acting for Harvey Norman in the James Hardie class action litigation; defending Maynard Marks in a $60 million negligence claim; defending a law firm against a $28 million claim brought by a prior client; defending a welding company in a $21 million negligence claim.

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Regulatory 

Acting for numerous clients in FMA, SFO and Commerce Commission investigations and proceedings; defending CBL Corporation in pecuniary penalty proceedings brought by the FMA under the FMC Act; and defending directors of Pyne Gould Corporation in civil penalty proceedings brought by the FMA. 

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Property

Acting on dozens of high-value commercial, residential, coastal property and leasing disputes; appointed as an independent expert by Radio New Zealand and its landlord on a lease dispute; acting for New Plymouth District Council in a dispute over the New Plymouth raceway; acting for Motat in a lease dispute; acting for the Swiss-Belhotel group in a dispute with one of its landlords; acting on a $20 million leaky building claim for a body corporate and its members; acting for commercial property owners in a $20 million professional negligence claim against engineers; and appointed by the Court of Appeal as amicus in a leading Māori Land Court appeal. 

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Trusts

Acting for trustees in a complex $100 million trust dispute; regularly acting for trustees and beneficiaries in private trust disputes.

Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific 2025 Dispute Resolution – The Bar: "Jason is an excellent operator, smart and practical. He is very pleasant to work with and is a go-to for commercial litigation."

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Legal 500 Asia Pacific Ranking 2024 for commercial disputes – Leading Silk: “exceptionally intelligent, and a very logical and analytical thinker”; “an incredibly articulate lawyer who sees the key issues very clearly, and has excellent commercial judgement – a superb advisor.”

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‍Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific 2024 Dispute Resolution – The Bar: "As an advocate he is persuasive and unflappable in court." "Jason has an outstanding legal mind and superb judgement."

‍Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific 2023 Dispute Resolution – The Bar records that Jason is "one of the brightest talents", "super bright" and "outstanding", and that Jason's practice "embraces a significant body of financial services-related work and significant experience at High Court and Court of Appeal level" and that he is "articulate and persuasive, with an ability to argue forcefully when required".

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‍Doyle's Guide 2022 names Jason as a leading New Zealand insolvency and restructuring barrister. 

• Hinde McMorland & Sim Land Law in New Zealand, LexisNexis NZ (co-author)
• Hinde on Commercial Leases (2019) (author)
• Principles of Land Law in New Zealand (2020) (co-author)