David Campbell

Campbell becomes the 34th NZ Law Society President on March 27, 2026, succeeding Frazer Barton after serving as Vice President since 2022.

A Dentons litigation partner with 23+ years’ practice (previously Kensington Swan, Morrison Kent, Goldsmiths London specializing in defamation), Campbell’s leadership credentials include Auckland Branch President (2016), Law Society Council member since 2013, and Civil Litigation and Tribunals Committee member since 2010.

His platform emphasizes professional standards, client service, and access to justice—particularly for “middle New Zealand who can’t afford access to justice.” Community service includes Spencer Mason Trust trusteeship and former Chair of Te Tuhi Contemporary Art Trust. Former co-author of Brookers, Civil Litigation Practice and Procedure, his practice involves contentious commercial/civil matters.

Campbell’s November 2025 appointment as President-Elect positions him to lead 17,000+ lawyers through regulatory challenges and rule-of-law advocacy. Campbell represents institutional leadership, less courtroom firepower than elite silks, but significant influence over profession-wide standards, discipline, and advocacy when government threatens judicial independence or access to justice collapses.