Colin was a champion mooter at the UC School of Law: winning the UC School of Law Mooting Competition in 2005; the New Zealand Law Students’ Mooting Competition in 2006; and representing New Zealand at the Commonwealth Moot Competition (London, 2005) and the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition (Washington D.C., 2006).
After graduating with first class honours from the UC School of Law, Colin clerked for Sir Robert Chambers in The Court of Appeal. While clerking, he was the New Zealand Law Students' Association's representative on the Council of Legal Education (2008-09) and co-authored the textbook Sports Law in New Zealand with Professor Elizabeth Toomey (now in its third edition). In 2009, Colin was awarded the Cleary Memorial Prize for being that year’s young lawyer who showed the most promise of service to, and through, the legal profession. Colin completed his masters at Harvard Law School before returning to Auckland to practise competition and regulatory law at Chapman Tripp, where he remained for eight years, relishing practice alongside stints of parental leave. Colin’s future was bright.
In November 2018, Colin was diagnosed with cancer and he died at home on 28 August 2019. He was 36 years old. He is survived by his wife, Janna McGuigan, and their three children.
The Colin Fife Memorial Prize will be awarded annually to the winner of the Moot Court Competition hosted by the UC School of Law. The purpose of the Prize is to encourage and enhance the development of advocacy skills by law students. This is an endowment fund and any surplus funds will be used from time to time for a further scholarship to provide financial assistance to a UC student admitted to Harvard Law School to undertake post-graduate study.
