Natasha Alley

Special Counsel

• +64 7 245 0598
• +64 21 222 6193
• natasha.alley@tompkinswake.co.nz
• Hamilton

To make an appointment, please contact Bronwyn Thompson bronwyn.thompson@tompkinswake.co.nz

Natasha is an experienced litigator and adjudicator. She joins the firm after a decade as an Assistant Commissioner at the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand. In her quasi-judicial role there, Natasha issued trade marks and designs decisions, with a right of appeal to the High Court. She has determined some of the most complex and significant cases before IPONZ.

Prior to her appointment as an Assistant Commissioner, Natasha practiced civil and commercial litigation at two of New Zealand’s leading firms. She has appeared at all levels of the New Zealand courts, including the Supreme Court. She also represents clients in alternative dispute resolution processes.

Natasha has extensive experience in intellectual property litigation, particularly in relation to trade marks. She has acted for numerous clients on a wide range of media law issues, including defamation, Broadcasting Standards Authority complaints, and privacy issues.  Natasha acted for the successful defendants in two of the leading cases on the tort of privacy in New Zealand. Her dispute resolution experience also includes advising on sports law issues.

Natasha is a member of the New Zealand Committee of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand (IPSANZ). She has presented at IPSANZ and INTA events and has given guest lectures at the University of Auckland and the University of Waikato. Natasha also served a three-year term on the Council of Legal Education.

Professional history

• Tompkins Wake, 2024 – present
• Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand, 2014-2024
• Simpson Grierson, 2006-2013
• Clifford Chance LLP, 2004-2006
• Bell Gully 2000-2004