Appointed as a King’s Counsel in 2017, Rachael has conducted numerous high profile cases.  Practising at the intersection of criminal and civil law, she is an expert in fraud, financial services and regulatory cases.  She leads long and complex criminal and civil trials.  She also assists clients during investigations conducted by all regulators with an eye to minimising risk and managing reputation.

Regulatory work

Rachael regularly acts for high profile individuals and entities caught up in regulatory investigations and prosecutions, whether criminal or civil.  She is an expert in defending investigations and prosecutions including by the following Regulators:

• Serious Fraud Office (fraud allegations under part 10 of the Crimes Act, Secret Commissions Act or Serious Fraud Office Act);

• Financial Markets Authority (allegations of insider trading, market manipulation, AML/CFT breaches, Financial Markets Conduct Act breaches);

• Commerce Commission (fair trading, cartels, allegations of anti-competitive behaviour);

• WorkSafe (high profile and complex health and safety investigations and prosecutions);

• Department of Internal Affairs (AML/CFT breaches);

• New Zealand Transport Authority;

• Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, and more.

Rachael provides strategic advice to ensure that any entity or individual is well placed in an investigation to avoid prosecution, where possible, or to pursue the best possible defence. 

Rachael is expert in assisting clients to manage reputation in these matters while minimising risk.

Criminal work

Rachael started her career as a prosecutor for the Serious Fraud Office and then a Crown Prosecutor before going to the Bar in 2012 and taking silk in 2017.  Rachael has deep experience in criminal work as a result and can run any serious criminal matter.  She regularly appears in the High Court and Court of Appeal. 

Although Rachael can defend any form of trial, she specialises in criminal allegations that involve fraud, financial services, regulatory breaches or intensely forensic allegations.

Rachael has conducted high profile and complex appeals in the Court of Appeal and has been previously appointed counsel to assist the Court in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

The Chambers and Partners guide to the legal profession summarises:

“Rachael Reed is one of the leaders of the white-collar criminal defence Bar and has been involved in most of the prominent white collar prosecutions in recent years.”

Civil work

Because the Financial Markets Authority and the Commerce Commission may proceed against defendants criminally or civilly, Rachael is very familiar with the civil jurisdiction. 

Rachael is regularly instructed in complex and lengthy civil trials of varying forms, particularly where they are forensically challenging and/or have a regulatory backdrop.  Her forensic analysis and cross examination skills developed through her criminal practice, and her concentration on cases of a financial nature with complex expert evidence, means she is ideally placed to act for clients in this area. 

General advocacy and appointments

Rachael is internationally recognised for her advocacy.  She has taught advocacy on an Advanced Advocacy Training Course in Australia in 2019 and on the renowned South Eastern Circuit Tim Dutton QBE KC Advanced International Advocacy Course at Keble, Oxford in 2019, 2022 and 2023.

She is rated in Chambers and Partners for white collar crime; Lexology for business crime, investigations and asset recovery and investigations; and Doyles Guide for criminal, regulatory offences & white-collar crime matters.

Adding to her practice Rachael is presently:

• Deputy Chair of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Disciplinary Tribunal;

• Member of the Legal Services Commission Advisory Board; and

• Elected Council Member of the New Zealand Bar Association.

Previously Rachael has been:

• Chair of the New Zealand Markets Disciplinary Tribunal;

• Convenor of an Auckland Standards Committee for New Zealand Law Society;

• Serious Fraud Office prosecution panel member 2012-2020; and

• President of the Auckland Women Lawyers Association.