James Watson

Associate

03 379 3880 Email LinkedIn PA: Leisa Thomas

James is an Associate in our litigation and dispute resolution team. He advises clients in a wide range of employment, family, and civil litigation disputes.

Why our clients choose James: James gets to the heart of the issue quickly while also understanding the holistic perspective. He excels at providing resolution focused advice in an honest and pragmatic way. James understands that a dispute can be stressful, and he ensures that he makes the process for his clients as stress free as possible.

James’s journey: James was born and bred in Christchurch. He completed his LLB in 2018 and his BCom with a double major of accounting taxation and finance in 2019 from the University of Canterbury. After graduating, James moved to Timaru and began his career in law. The two years James spent in Timaru exposed him to a large variety of work and hands on experience in Court. James moved back to Christchurch in 2022 and joined the team at Young Hunter.

Outside of work, James loves the outdoors. James is an avid white-water kayaker, scuba diver, skier and snowboarder, and rock climber. James also has a passion for music having taught drums and been in a band while he was studying.

James’s values: What you see is what you get with James. Honesty and building long lasting working relationships with clients are the two biggest values for James. He will have a candid conversation with you but will also be a fierce advocate for your position.

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James's expertise

Notable work

Advising employers with restructures, redundancies, disciplinary actions, policy changes, employment agreements, Covid-19, and assisting them in disputes and mediations.
Advising employees subjected to bullying, harassment, unjustifiably being dismissed, redundancy, negotiating employment agreements, and assisting them in disputes and mediations.
Advising organisations and landlords in relation to tenancy rights and obligations, representing them in the Tenancy Tribunal, attending to any appeals arising from a Tenancy Tribunal decision.
Representing clients on appeals from the tribunals.
Assisting organisations in their debt recovery and representing them in any proceedings to enforce the recovery.
Assisting parties in reaching a resolution in their division of relationship property.
Obtaining parenting orders or protection orders and representing clients in applying for or defending against the orders in the Family Court.