Nick Williams Email & Phone Number

Nick advises both private and public-sector clients in commercial and regulatory matters often with a focus on financial markets, trusts, and white collar fraud. Nick advises on domestic and international trust disputes and is admitted as a Barrister in the Cook Islands. He has acted on a number of high profile off-shore trust cases, involving AML and asset forfeiture issues, many of which involved complex cross-border issues and co-ordination with international law firms and fiduciaries.He has acted for NZ regulators including the Commerce Commission on Fair Trading Act matters, for the Financial Markets Authority in cases involving insider trading, market manipulation, and disclosure breaches, and for the New Zealand Law Society on disciplinary matters. Nick also advises corporates and public bodies on health and safety, as well as on internal fraud investigations and recoveries.Nick teaches Financial Markets Law and Trial Advocacy at the University of Auckland Law School. BA/LLB (Hons), University of AucklandLLM, University of ChicagoChartered Financial Analyst, CFA InstituteAdmitted to the Bar in New Zealand and the Cook IslandsMember of Serious Fraud Office Prosecutors PanelExamples of work include:> Acting for NZ-based trustees in relation to asset forfeiture proceedings arising out of the 1MDB scandal.> Acting for Cook Islands international trustee in litigation involving allegations of fraud and money laundering, and related asset restraint. > Acting for Cook Islands international trustee in litigation involving multi-jurisdiction freezing order proceedings and allegations of fraudulent asset transfer.> FMA v Prince & Partners: obtaining $4.5m settlement for FMA in civil claim against trustee of failed finance company.> Advising District Health Board on an internal investigation into allegations of procurement and other financial irregularities.> Walker v Forbes: acting for liquidators in c$300m claim against auditors and directors of a property development company.> FMA v Honey & FMA v Sansom: counsel for FMA in first criminal insider trading cases in NZ.> FMA v Warminger: counsel for FMA in first market manipulation case to go to trial in NZ.> Ports of Auckland v Bainbridge: acting for the Ports in obtaining freezing orders over assets of fraudulent employee.> Cook Islands Commissioner of Police v Bishop: successfully prosecuted first bribery and corruption case initiated against a Minister of the Crown in Cook Islands.> SFO v Rose & Rose: acting for SFO in the Mighty River Power procurement fraud trial.

Listed skills include Securities Regulation, Dispute Resolution, Fraud, Corporate Governance, and 21 others.