Michael Bos

Michael has considerable experience in dealing with a range of commercial disputes.  He specialises in the management of products liability litigation and regulatory compliance and disputes.

He has advised in respect of judicial challenges to regulation and the defence of products liability lawsuits in numerous jurisdictions including in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.  Michael also has experience in a number of other complex commercial disputes, including insolvency, franchising, intellectual property, commercial and property law disputes.

Michael previously practised in New Zealand until 2011. He was a partner at an international law firm in Auckland from 2000 to 2009 and a barrister from 2009 to 2011. In 2011 Michael moved to London, where he now specialises in international products liability litigation and regulatory advice.

Michael's experience includes advising:

• British American Tobacco in UK judicial review proceedings challenging the UK Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations.
• British American Tobacco in challenging the validity of the European Union's Second Tobacco Products Directive.
• British American Tobacco in responding to government consultations and judicial challenges to tobacco control regulatory measures in numerous jurisdictions in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.
• Nicoventures in respect of responding to government consultations and regulatory compliance in relation to nicotine and smokeless tobacco products.    
• BAT Espana SA in connection with a health care recoupment claim before the administrative court in Madrid.
• House of Prince A/S and Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni A/S in defence of a personal injury claim in Denmark.
• representing British American Tobacco (New Zealand) Limited in the successful defence of all product liability claims in New Zealand. These claims for personal injury were the first of their kind in New Zealand.
• acting for British American Tobacco (New Zealand) Limited in relation to an investigation by the New Zealand Commerce Commission regarding alleged breaches of the Fair Trading Act 1986.
• representing the liquidators of New Zealand Equiticorp group companies (one of New Zealand’s largest corporate bankruptcies) in High Court proceedings to set aside a security granted by the company and an application for directions relating to the treatment of pre-liquidation payments made by way of set-off.
• acting for Video Ezy International (NZ) Ltd, New Zealand's largest video store franchisor, in successful arbitration and High Court proceedings following termination of multiple franchise agreements.
• advising and represented Deloitte New Zealand as receivers and liquidators of various finance companies.
• representing the receivers of a DVD distribution company in the New Zealand High Court and Court of Appeal in the successful defence of breach of Copyright proceedings and proceedings to determine priority to assets.

Background

LLB University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1991.

LLM(Hons) University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1998.

Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in New Zealand in 1991.

Admitted as a Legal Practitioner of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia in 2007.