Quayside Chambers is the Wellington practice of Peter McKnight and Ali Romanos, two barristers recognised as experts in media law and defamation. Based on Level 3 of the Wellington Club Building at 88 The Terrace, they take instructions on most civil disputes, work with authors, publishers and producers to ensure safe publishing and broadcasting, and guide individuals and businesses facing legal and public relations crises.
Peter is one of New Zealand's most experienced media and defamation lawyers. He spent 30 years as a partner at boutique Wellington firm Izard Weston, representing publishers including Independent Newspapers Limited, Fairfax Media and Radio New Zealand, before becoming a barrister sole in 2008. An established trial counsel with some eleven civil jury trials in the High Court, he appears often in the Court of Appeal and has previously appeared in the Supreme Court, the Privy Council and the High Court of the Cook Islands.
Ali has worked alongside Peter since January 2013, first as a law clerk and then as an employed barrister. He has appeared as sole or junior counsel in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court and District Court, and is regularly asked by law firms across New Zealand to provide defamation opinions. In 2014 he created Defamation Update, a free legal resource endorsed by NetSafe and the Citizens Advice Bureau.
The chambers phone line is answered 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and each barrister also publishes a direct email and mobile number.
Reputation cases are won on preparation, and few Wellington practices arrive better prepared than Quayside Chambers. Based on Level 3 of the Wellington Club Building at 88 The Terrace, the chambers are home to Peter McKnight and Ali Romanos, two barristers recognised as experts in media law and defamation. Between them, they handle defamation claims for plaintiffs and defendants, advice for publishers and producers on safe publishing and broadcasting, and instructions on most civil disputes.
Peter McKnight is one of New Zealand's most experienced media and defamation lawyers. He spent 30 years as a partner at Izard Weston, a boutique Wellington firm, building a broad dispute-resolution and litigation practice and acting for media publishers across the country, including Independent Newspapers Limited, Fairfax Media and Radio New Zealand. Earlier in his career he prosecuted for the Motor Vehicle Dealers Institute and the Wellington Harbour Board. In 2008 he became a barrister sole; today his practice centres on media law, while he continues to take briefs in trusts and estates, family law, and contract and insurance issues.
His courtroom record runs deep. Peter is an established trial counsel who has acted in a large number of first-instance hearings, including some eleven civil jury trials in the High Court. He appears often in the Court of Appeal and has previously appeared in the Supreme Court, the Privy Council and the High Court of the Cook Islands. In a typical week he is managing litigation, taking instructions from solicitors and government departments, and appearing in court.
Ali Romanos joined Peter in January 2013 as a law clerk and went on to become an employed barrister. He has appeared as sole or junior counsel in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court and District Court, and acted alongside Peter in three civil jury trials. Law firms around New Zealand regularly ask him for defamation opinions, and he supports other barristers, including King's Counsel, as junior counsel or with litigation support. His practice stretches beyond media law too: he has been briefed as sole counsel in High Court proceedings for equitable relief, Property Law Act applications in the District Court, Employment Relations Authority matters, appeals from the District Court and Taxation Review Authority, and debt-enforcement work for creditors and debtors.
The work falls naturally into four streams. Plaintiffs come to Quayside Chambers when they believe their reputation has been damaged and want experienced counsel to assess and pursue a claim. Defendants turn to the chambers when a defamation claim is made against them and representation in court is needed. Authors, publishers and producers work with Peter and Ali before publication or broadcast, so that legal risks are identified and managed early. And when a legal problem is also a public-relations problem, the chambers guide individuals and businesses through the crisis as it unfolds.
Anyone who wants to understand defamation law before picking up the phone can start with Defamation Update, the free resource Ali created in 2014. Endorsed by NetSafe and the Citizens Advice Bureau, it provides a comprehensive guide to defamation law and court procedure, along with a large database of New Zealand defamation cases.
Day to day, life at the chambers is what you would expect of active trial counsel: preparing court documents, advising on prospective and ongoing litigation, and appearing in court. Instructions come from solicitors and government departments, while individuals and businesses in the middle of legal and public relations crises also turn to the practice for guidance.
The chambers line, 04 499 1328, is answered from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Each barrister also publishes a direct email and mobile number, so clients can reach the right counsel quickly. Quayside Chambers sits at Level 3, Wellington Club Building, 88 The Terrace, Wellington, with postal mail to PO Box 10374, The Terrace, Wellington 6143.
For a plaintiff weighing a claim, a publisher checking a story, or a business caught in a crisis, the appeal of Quayside Chambers is the same: senior courtroom experience combined with current, specialist defamation expertise, from chambers on The Terrace in Wellington.