Corporate and Commercial Law

The Auckland Law School, based in New Zealand’s largest commercial centre, has long had corporate and commercial law as one of its strengths.

We offer an LLM degree with a specialisation in Commercial Law, and a wide range of electives in that degree, and in the LLB and LLB(Hons) degrees.

The courses in the LLM are taught by a combination of the faculty’s permanent staff, staff of the Department of Commercial Law in the Faculty of Business and Economics, distinguished overseas academics and senior law practitioners.

The faculty is home to the New Zealand Centre for Law and Business which has a primary goal of facilitating interdisciplinary research connecting law and business, with a strong focus on the interface between the two.

Visit the New Zealand Centre for Law and Business

Academic staff researchers and teachers

The following members of staff conduct teaching, research and postgraduate supervision in the area of Corporate and Commercial Law.

Rob Batty | Senior Lecturer
Email: r.batty@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 4370

Field of research: Trade mark law, intellectual property

Francis Dawson | Professor
Email: f.dawson@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 9413

Field of research: Contract, equity, legal history

Craig Elliffe | Professor
Email: c.elliffe@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 8990

Field of research: International tax, tax avoidance, tax reform

Rohan Havelock | Senior Lecturer
Email: r.havelock@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 8020

Field of research: Insurance law, equity and equitable remedies, unjust enrichment and restitution, private law taxonomy, building and construction law

An Hertogen | Senior Lecturer
Email: an.hertogen@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 1129

Field of research: Regulation of economic activity by states, competition and consumer law

Amokura Kawharu | Associate Professor
Email: a.kawharu@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 6397

Field of research: International commercial arbitration, investment arbitration, international economic regulation, international disputes settlement

Michael Littlewood | Professor
Email: m.littlewood@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 5633

Field of research: New Zealand Tax, Hong Kong tax, Chinese tax, international tax, comparative tax, tax planning, tax policy, the politics of taxation, tax history, constitutional aspects of taxation

Chris Noonan | Associate Professor
Email: c.noonan@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 7444

Field of research: International competition law, World Trade Organisation, regional economic integration

Marcus Roberts | Senior Lecturer
Email: m.roberts@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 8802

Field of research: Contract, torts, vicarious liability, negligence

Richard Scragg | Honorary Academic
Email: rj.scragg@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 373 7599 x81973

Field of research: Credit and personal property security law, legal ethics, legal system, professional legal education.

Paul Sumpter | Senior Lecturer
Email: p.sumpter@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 6459

Field of research: Copyright, trademarks, biotechnology and patents, confidential information, designs, commercial licensing of IP

Warren Swain | Professor
Email: w.swain@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 1275

Field of research: Legal History, Contract, Tort, Restitution, Legal Biography

Susan Watson | Professor
Email: s.watson@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 373 7599

Field of research: The legal relationship between shareholders and boards, the role of the board, corporate governance, the liability of company directors and professionals, the relationship between leadership and governance, the development of internal rules in companies including corporate sustainability, theories of the corporation including entity theory, public private divide in corporate law, role of the board, directors’ duties, and comparative corporate law and corporate governance, legal personality.

Peter Watts | Professor
Email: pg.watts@auckland.ac.nz
Phone: +64 9 923 7829

Field of research: Agency law, company law, law of restitution

Courses available in Corporate and Commercial Law

Subject to availability the following courses may be offered:

Undergraduate courses

Postgraduate courses

  • COMLAW 740 - The Tax Base
  • COMLAW 741 - International Tax
  • LAWCOMM 702 - International Arbitration
  • LAWCOM 706 - Competition Law
  • LAWCOMM 709 - Corporate Governance
  • LAWCOMM 711 - Commercial Equity
  • LAWCOMM 713 - Intellectual Property
  • LAWCOMM 720 - Law of Insurance Contracts
  • LAWCOM 730 - Special Topic: International Trade Law
  • LAWCOMM 731 - Special Topic: Global Commercial Contract Law
  • LAWCOMM 734 - Contemporary Free Trade Agreements
  • LAWCOM 735 - Special Topic: Artificial Intelligence Law and Policy
  • LAWCOMM 736 - Special Topic: Comparative Company Law
  • LAWCOMM 739 - Special Topic: International Commercial Contracts
  • LAWCOM 739 - Mergers and Aquisitions
  • LAWCOMM 742 - Remedies Law
  • LAWCOM 746 - Special Topic: Data Privacy and the Law
  • LAWCOM 747 - Goods and Services Tax
  • LAWCOM 749 - Special Topic: International Litigation
  • LAWCOM 769 - Special Topic: Economic Regulation: Principles and Practice
  • LAWCOM 775 - International Tax Law
  • LAWCOM 778 - Special Topic: Selected Topics in Tort Law
  • LAWCOM 779 - Tax Avoidance
  • LAWCOM 780 - Corporation and Investor Tax
  • LAWCOM 788 - Special Topic: Asia Pacific Tax

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