Melissa Hammer

Melissa is a Partner in our Litigation Team with a national practice. She is a specialist dispute resolution lawyer with broad expertise having worked as both a civil litigator and Crown prosecutor. Melissa has extensive experience acting in civil disputes, including experience in insurance and professional indemnity claims, insolvency matters, contractual disputes, as well trust and equity related claims. She has also recently acted in shareholder disputes, as well as for a number of commercial landlords in leasing related matters. She also acts in criminal and regulatory prosecutions and defence, and has extensive experience in health and safety regulation.

Melissa is an experienced advocate in the Court room having represented clients in High Court and District Court trials, arbitrations, and extensively for the Crown prosecuting serious crime, as well as appearing in the Court of Appeal for both criminal and civil appeals.

Melissa is recognised for her expertise in dispute resolution including being selected for the NZ Lawyer Rising Stars 2021 list.

Melissa worked as a Summer Clerk in our Dunedin office over the 2008/2009 summer. She graduated from the University of Otago in 2010 with a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (majoring in History) and was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in 2011. In 2016 Melissa was awarded a Pegasus Scholarship where she spent time in London working alongside barristers and the judiciary.

Melissa returned to Anderson Lloyd in April 2019. Prior to joining Anderson Lloyd, Melissa commenced her career as a Judges’ Clerk in the Wellington High Court. She has also spent time working as a Crown Prosecutor and an Associate in two leading litigation practices in Auckland.

Melissa is the current author of the New Zealand Chapter for the Insurance and Reinsurance Law Review. Melissa is also a member of the New Zealand Insurance Law Association, and the Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association of New Zealand.

Publications

• Climate Change Regulation 2024: A Chambers Global Practice Guide
• Vendors not liable to purchasers of earthquake prone building said to be 60% NBS
• Lexology In Depth: Insurance and Reinsurance Law – New Zealand Chapter
• High Court upholds engineers’ limitation of liability clauses
• The New Standard for Construction roadshow
• Trust liability under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
• Liability of directors for company debts Supreme Court in Mainzeal orders directors pay $39.8 million plus interest
• Tenant’s obligation to pay reinstatement costs
• A landmark decision for contractual interpretation
• Anderson Lloyd litigator loves the courtroom adrenaline
• NZ Lawyer’s 2021 Rising Stars