Deborah is one of the leading trust litigation and relationship property lawyers in New Zealand. She specialises in equity litigation, including fiduciary relationships and obligations. She originally practised in general civil litigation and in the criminal law field as a prosecutor but since 1996 has specialised in relationship property law, trusts, estates and fiduciary duties. Her work in this area includes complex cases frequently involving international property.
Deborah was admitted to the bar in 1983 and commenced practice as a barrister sole in 1989. She was made QC in 2007. Prior to that she was with Russell McVeagh, Auckland; a Procurator Fiscal Depute in Glasgow; Meredith Connell; and Butler White and Hanna.
Her litigation experience includes frequent appearances in the Family Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Deborah is also experienced at representing clients in mediations.
Her experience is reflected in the numerous papers and presentations she has made to conferences in New Zealand and she has written articles on a wide variety of legal topics. Deborah is the co-author of the best-selling handbook on domestic property law and estate law, For Richer For Poorer. She is also a co-author of the New Zealand Master Trusts Guide.