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Chris Hocquard

Chris is the managing partner and a specialist in entertainment law, with a particular bias towards music and new media. He founded the firm in 1995 after having traveled the world and realising that being smaller was an asset, not a liability. He recognised the internet would remove the tyranny of distance and is almost beside himself now that our third world broadband is slowly being upgraded.

He continues to represent the top echelons of the New Zealand Music industry. He is also a partner in the boutique label Dryden Street along with his friends and clients Ashley Page and Joel Little. He is one of NZ's leading legal experts in digital media and has a practical grasp of the issues involved in this rapidly changing area through his various commercial interests including the digital aggregator DRM NZ. Recently he has even become involved in developing a skin care range, as much for the insight into marketing and product development as for the challenge again of trying to crack it globally.

Tim Riley

Tim specialises in film and TV, general commercial, IP and media law and provides a broad range of clients with serious commercial and practical advice. Before seeing the light and crossing over from the dark side to join Dominion Law, he was a financial services lawyer for 12 years. That background enables him to work closely providing commercial and IP advice to many creative clients both inside and outside the entertainment industries.

One of NZ’s leading film lawyers, his entertainment practice is focussed largely on the film and TV industries. As well as producers, directors, writers and actors, he also represents most of NZ’s film and TV industry bodies, including Script to Screen (which he is on the board of), the Directors and Editors Guild of NZ and the Film and Video Technicians Guild.

Tim is a film producer himself, having a feature film producer credit (for the NZ – Canada Co-production, Turbo Kid) and a number of associate producer credits.

Tim is on the board of the company that runs the Qantas Screen Awards and is a member of SPADA and WIFT. He is the designated legal provider to the Screen Directors Guild and its members, a function that he also performs for Actors Equity. Tim writes regularly for TAKE and ONFILM magazines.

Joel Tashkoff

Joel (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahungunu) has broad expertise in entertainment and media law, with a particular specialty in the music and modeling industries. His practice includes a strong focus on contractual issues surrounding rights, licensing, producer deals, management agreements, agency, publishing and recording contracts. He simplifies complex legal matters and provides easy-to-digest, practical guidance to his clients, who range from Grammy-winning chart toppers to those just starting out.

As a multi-award-winning music producer and composer, Joel remains an active professional in the music industry - when he's not in the office you can find him in the studio. This background gives him a ground-level understanding and appreciation of the issues faced by labels, artists, managers, and producers in today’s ever-changing music landscape.

Joel is a board member of the New Zealand Music Commission (Te Reo Reka o Aotearoa), a mentor with the Music Manager's Forum, and an advisor to the board of the Māori Music Industry Collective. With his distinct skillset, Joel brings a unique yet relatable perspective to all of his clients.

Zee Talagi

Zee brings a unique blend of legal expertise and deep industry knowledge to Dominion Law. She has a strong connection to the entertainment world and understands the creative industries from an artistic, cultural, and business perspective. Zee works across all the firm's matters, ranging from music and entertainment contracts to trusts, wills, and conveyancing, and is currently expanding her expertise into the film and television sector.

Outside of law, Zee is a radio presenter on Niu FM, where her excellent music taste and her deep connection with the industry shine through. Zee holds a Bachelor of Communications in addition to her LLB and as a result, has the best telephone manner out of everyone at the firm. She also has a background in journalism, having interned with TVNZ Breakfast and PMN News. Applying the insight that she has gained from these experiences, Zee brings a well-rounded and personable approach to her work.

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