People
Meet our people
Zoe Reid
Principal
Zoe Reid is a barrister and solicitor and has been practising law since 2007.
Zoe studied at the University of Auckland; obtaining a Bachelor or Laws, together with a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in psychology and sociology).
Zoe commenced her career at a corporate law firm; however, by 2009 the pull to step out from behind a desk and engage more with members of her community led to Zoe joining Chris Reid’s well established criminal law practice. Zoe was delighted to get the opportunity to work alongside her father and learn his trade!
In 2011 Zoe became the principal of the practice and Chris has worked as a consultant ever since.
For more than 10 years Zoe has focussed her practice solely on drink drive and traffic law. As a specialist drink drive and traffic lawyer, Zoe has extensive experience appearing on such matters at the District Court; she has also taken matters on appeal to the High Court and succeeded. You can see examples of Zoe’s successful results here.
Zoe has presented seminars on drink drive law to other law practitioners; she is also instructed by other practitioners to provide written advice on the topic and often appear on their behalf as counsel at court.
When not at work, Zoe enjoys spending time with her seven-year-old daughter, Evie: who loves nothing more than to educate her mum on the intricacies of L.O.L. Surprise Dolls!
Chris Reid
Consultant
Chris Reid has over 40 years’ experience in criminal and traffic law. Chris grew up close to his cousin, David Lange, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand. Chris followed David’s example and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Auckland in 1972. Chris commenced his work as a court lawyer from David Lange’s law office.
Chris has an extensive and successful history at the District and High Courts, as well as the Court of Appeal. For many years Chris worked closely with Peter Williams QC. A memorable trial of Peter and Chris’ was for a police constable wrongly charged with rape and perversion of justice. The corrupt senior officer who brought the charges was too afraid of the great Peter Williams QC to get in the witness box. The constable was found not to be guilty and the senior officer eventually wound up in prison.
Chris is well recognised in the drink drive and traffic law field and has been a long-standing presenter of Law Society and LexisNexis seminars on the topic. His most outstanding drink drive case was in the Court of Appeal with Grant Illingworth (now QC): A-G v Otahuhu District Court and Brown {2001} 3 NZLR 740. Following this case, all evidential breath testing devices were required to have certificates of compliance and, as a further safeguard, motorists were enabled to have a blood test whatever the breath test result; previously there had been restrictions on blood tests.
Chris currently works part-time as a consultant for Zoe. In his spare time, Chris enjoys travelling overseas, fishing and doting on his granddaughter.