
- Dan Hughes
- Partner
- Auckland
- Litigation | Insolvency & Corporate Recovery
Dan is head of our litigation practice and is an experienced commercial litigator.
His experience in insolvency has led to achievements in unchartered areas for New Zealand law, including being the first to apply and successfully obtain recognition of a U.S. bankruptcy in New Zealand and to also have New Zealand liquidators recognised and appointed in Australia.
Dan also has numerous reported decisions in leading construction cases and succeeded in the highly publicised decision of Fences v Kerbs in which the Supreme Court overturned the Court of Appeal in favour of subcontractors against voidable transactions brought by liquidators.
He frequently appears in the High Court, and has appeared in the Maori Land Court, Maori Appellate Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. He has also assisted clients in the Sydney Federal Court and the Circuit Courts in the U.S.A.

- Dan is ranked as a 'Leading Individual' in the 2020 and 2021 Legal 500 Asia Pacific Guides in both litigation and insolvency and corporate recovery. He is also recognised as a 'Leading Lawyer/Individual' in Asialaw Profiles, IFLR 1000 for insolvency. Clients note him to be 'responsive and capable'.
- He was recognised in the NZ Lawyer magazine's 'Hot List' as one of the country's top thirty lawyers
- Advising and acting for banks and major credit organisations.
- Advising and acting for liquidators, receivers and administrators both here and in Australia.
- Advising and acting for creditors against liquidators and receivers.
- Advising and acting for large and small businesses in commercial disputes.
- Advising and acting for government in-roading and property disputes.
- Advising and acting for trusts and individuals in large and small disputes.
- Advising and acting for creditors in recovery actions.
- LLB/BA, Victoria University of Wellington
- LLM (HONS), University of Auckland
- 2002
- New Zealand Credit and Finance Institute,
- INSOL New Zealand
- Insolvency Practitioners Association of Australia.
- Vice-Chair of the Insolvency Committee of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association.