Howard Thompson
Howard Thompson
Partner
BA, LLB
Ph: 306 1880
What do I do?
I’m a lawyer with 20 years of commercial legal experience, spanning transactional, advisory and dispute resolution work.
I am interested and experienced in insolvency law, company law, contract law, employment law and construction law.
I am a problem solver with a detailed understanding of how commercial transactions are put together. My background as a transactions lawyer gives me an advantage when developing strategies for managing and resolving commercial disputes.
I frequently appear in courts and tribunals at all levels. I have appeared in the Supreme Court for the successful liquidators in a leading case on insolvency set-off and in a number of other reported cases, mainly in the areas of company and insolvency law, but I also favour alternative dispute resolution. I regularly attend mediations on behalf of my clients. I have a reputation as a particularly effective mediation advocate and I provide clients with sensible and accurate advice about whether mediation is a good option for them.
Mediation is usually a good option where a case involves lots of parties and lots of factual issues. “Leaky building” cases are particularly well-suited to mediation. I have helped to resolve many of them, including one of the biggest.
What do I enjoy about what I do?
I enjoy dealing with a range of people and the challenge of finding the best solutions to their problems. I love my clients’ positive energy when I help them to get a good result. Being a lawyer has become part of my identity and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
I also take a keen interest in developments in the law. I keep myself up to date, I am a member of the Auckland District Law Society’s Continuing Legal Education committee and I reasonably frequently write legal articles on topical subjects.
What am I like out of work?
I am a family man. I have three boys so my social life tends to revolve around their school or sporting commitments. I’m a keen cricket follower (you could say I’m a cricket tragic!), and I used to be a competitive runner. Nowadays I just run to keep fit.
I take an active interest in what’s going on in the world. I enjoy current affairs, reading and watching sport. I’m confident that I am the North Shore’s most prolific all-weather barbeque cook.
