Mary Crimp

Mary has been practising law since 2003 and was appointed a Partner of Harmans in 2015. She jointly leads our litigation and disputes resolution team.

Mary spent almost 3 years working in London, initially in the field of complaints and professional conduct and then in the financial service sector where she was a key member of the Financial Services Authority team that undertook the largest insider dealing prosecution in the United Kingdom, at that time. She has acted for clients in a wide range of forums including disciplinary meetings, mediations, arbitrations and litigation in the District Court, High Court and the Court of Appeal.

Mary specialises in civil and commercial litigation, insolvency and debt recovery, estate litigation, PPPR Act applications and employment disputes. She is particularly interested in the fields of insolvency and commercial litigation and regularly acts for receivers and liquidators, corporate and finance clients.

Mary is a committee member of a National Standards Committee for the New Zealand Law Society and Women in Restructuring and Insolvency (Christchurch). She is also a member of the Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Credit and Finance Institute and the Canterbury Women’s Legal Association.

Mary has presented papers and chaired HR Masterclass conferences in employment law. 

Mary gives back to the community by providing her time to the Governance Board of The Village Presbyterian Church Community Centre.  

Some of Mary’s recent work/projects include:  

• Appearing as Counsel in shareholder dispute involving numerous entities and claims as to shareholder oppression.  
• Appearing as Counsel in a complex commercial case in which the value of shares, sold between related parties during the Christchurch Earthquake sequence, was in issue. 
• Assisting the liquidators of various companies in the exercise of their statutory powers of recovery.
• Advising a large corporate client in respect of disputes that have arisen around their distribution agreements and negotiating a resolution in respect of the same.
• Acting on behalf of beneficiaries to a will who allege undue influence on the part of the person employed to care for the deceased.
• Representing clients (both employer and employee) in employment and restraint of trade disputes, restructures and employment investigations.
• District and High Court proceedings for the recovery of debts.