Ben Maguire

Ben assists with a wide range of commercial, civil and employment disputes.  He regularly appears in the High Court and the Employment Relations Authority.

Ben helps businesses and individuals resolve disputes involving contracts and commercial arrangements, shareholder disputes, property and leasing issues, trusts and estates, construction and insurance-related claims, and debt recovery, insolvency and enforcement matters—whether through negotiation, mediation or litigation.

In the employment law space, Ben advises and acts for both employees and employers across a broad range of workplace matters, including personal grievance claims, disciplinary investigations, restructures and redundancy proposals, medical incapacity, performance concerns, restraints of trade and the misuse of confidential information.

Ben’s eye for detail and ability to think critically allows him to see all angles of a dispute to assess the best path for resolution.

Prior to joining SRB in November 2024, Ben worked for five years with the Ministry of Justice. He was a registrar in the District Court’s civil jurisdiction, a legal research assistant for the Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal, and a judges’ clerk assisting judges with research and opinion writing across the criminal, civil and family jurisdictions. This background gives Ben a unique perspective and strong understanding of the legal system, which he utilises to deliver great results for clients in and out of court.  

Ben graduated from the University of Canterbury in April 2019 with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science and International Relations.

Notable experience:

• Acting for clients in relation to breaches of commercial leases and other commercial contracts.

• Assisting homeowners with a complex dispute relating to defective earthquake repairs.

• Assisting a small business with its defence to various claims by a large multinational corporation.

• Obtaining an order under the Trusts Act 2019 for the replacement of the trustees of an Estate (Macdonald v Moran [2025] NZHC 373).

• Obtaining an order under the Property Law Act 2007 for possession of a commercial tenancy (Capitola Investments Limited v CVI Management Services LP [2026] NZHC 1279).

• Obtaining an order under the Land Transfer Act 2017 to sustain a caveat over land (ATE Property Ltd v Roman Catholic Bishop of Diocese of Dunedin [2025] NZHC 3256).

• Assisting a client with their defence to a claim under the Family Protection Act 1955.

• Acting for clients bringing and defending misrepresentation claims.

• Acting for companies in relation to statutory demands, insolvency proceedings and bankruptcy proceedings.

• Drafting employment agreements, contracts for service for independent contractors and policies for employers in various industries.

Affiliations:

• Member of the New Zealand Law Society.