NZ Power Law Firm Briefings: Insights, Briefs & Articles From New Zealand Law Firms

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 34 The “divorce trust diva” has consistently held top rankings in both global and Asia-Pacific Chambers guides, handling high-profile divorce cases with multi-jurisdictional complications and appearing in the LawFuel list since 2019. Her practice involves complex relationship property matters, particularly where trusts obscure asset ownership. Recent personal challenges, including the… Read more: Deborah Chambers KC

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 41 Perennial power lister Chen continues exerting influence as chair of the Superdiversity Institute and president of NZ Asian Lawyers, recently establishing the Mai Chen Legal Innovation Award at Otago University to encourage innovative thinking. Having established her eponymous firm before ‘sacking herself’ and becoming a barrister, she serves as… Read more: Mai Chen

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 44 Priest has established herself as one of NZ’s leading criminal lawyers, joining the Power List in 2024, with 20+ years’ experience handling serious violence, sexual offenses, complex drug crimes, actively contributing to legal education and speaking at events. Her co-founding of “The Good Lawyer”—a non-profit providing resources to prisoners—demonstrates… Read more: Emma Priest

LawFuel Power List 2025 No 46 Ian Beaumont debuted on the Power List last year and is a Russell McVeagh Board member and Corporate Advisory Group partner specializing in M&A, equity capital markets, joint ventures, corporate advisory, with experience in NZ and the US contributing to award-winning transactions. As one of the younger dealmakers inheriting… Read more: Ian Beaumont

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 50 Low profile but a LawFuel List regular, Ann Brennan leads MBIE’s 70+ legal team including 64 lawyers organized into four specialized teams, having played crucial roles in significant projects such as developing legislation for Outer Space and High-Altitude Activities, supporting earthquake response, handling major government initiatives. She transformed MBIE’s… Read more: Ann Brennan

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 45 Doyen, mentor, legend – they all apply to Jim Farmer KC who remains on the List even if there is some deserved slowing of case histories. Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025 ranks Farmer as “Senior Statesperson,” describing him as “widely regarded as one of NZ’s pre-eminent commercial litigators, vastly experienced in… Read more: Jim Farmer KC

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 49 A legend at the bar with a career spanning 55+ years including 100+ murder trials, Hampton recently resigned from the Criminal Cases Review Commission citing concerns about independence and expertise. He retains his reputation as one of NZ’s best defence lawyers with expertise extending to major inquiries including Pike… Read more: Nigel Hampton KC

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 43 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… Read more: David Campbell

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 42 Paul Majurey chairs Eke Panuku Development Auckland (overseeing waterfront/Wynyard Quarter development), chairs the Maunga Authority, and manages a $115 million iwi investment fund. His 26-year specialization in environmental/Treaty law positions him as lead negotiator for 30 iwi in Treaty negotiations. His work on “Maungārongo” development with Ockham Residential is… Read more: Paul Majurey

LawFuel Power List No. 4 Over 600 cases resulting in High Court judgments. That’s not a typo, Hodder’s been appearing in New Zealand’s senior courts since 1980, racking up victories and precedents with the relentlessness of a metronome. His Three Waters work (representing Timaru, Waimakariri, and Whangarei councils) put him at the intersection of local… Read more: Jack Hodder KC

Cuncannon launched her eponymous plaintiff litigation firm in 2024 after a decade as Meredith Connell partner, betting New Zealand was ready for American-style class action specialists. The move shows the evolution of the plaintiff bar, litigation funding and class actions as a growth market. The firm establishment gamble paid off with Chambers ranking  her in… Read more: Fionnghuala Cuncannon

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 2 Kitteridge’s August 2025 appointment as Professor of Practice at Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government wasn’t just a plum academic gig—it was a coronation. The Deputy Public Service Commissioner role already gave her the ear of every minister who matters; Oxford gives her global heft. Her CV reads like New… Read more: Rebecca Kitteridge

LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 1 Una Jagose may be stepping down in February, but she clings to the top spot on the LawFuel Power List by continued influence in the top law role.  It was not the easiest year. She had already faced issues with her late-2024 prosecution guidelines suggesting ethnicity might factor into… Read more: Una Jagose

Select Committee Blocks ANZ’s Legislative End Run In a decision that sent tremors through the executive suites of New Zealand’s banking establishment, Parliament’s Finance & Expenditure Select Committee has delivered what can only be described as a judicial body blow to Big Banking’s most audacious gambit yet: attempting to legislate away a class action mid-flight.… Read more: The Rising Power Lawyer Who Sees Class Action Survive Retroactive Assault

A former Russell McVeagh partner whose misconduct kick-started a #MeToo movement in New Zealand is seeking a new practising certificate after a three-year suspension. James Gardner-Hopkins was found guilty of six misconduct charges by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal. There is no redemption for James, there is an unforgivingness in being brown. He was the… Read more: Former Russell McVeagh Lawyer James Gardner-Hopkins and The Unforgivingness of Being Brown

Deborah Chambers KC, the Trust Buster for the Brokenhearted John Bowie The NZ Herald published a glowing feature about Deborah Chambers KC, the Power List divorce lawyer who has become perhaps the most prominent divorce and trust and relationship property lawyer in the country. She is also, reputedly, one of the top-charging KCs with hourly… Read more: Deborah Chambers’ Rules For Divorce

Most of the LawFuel stories from last year that were most-read were from the Power List, unsurprisingly, but the top story was the shenanigans at the Northern Club and Ron Mansfield’s appointment as Lawyer of the Year in terms of ‘click volume’. We’ve assembled some of the key stories below and the lawyers from the… Read more: New Zealand Law – LawFuel’s Most-Read Lawyers And Law Stories From ’24

This obituary for Frank Handy is provided by a LawFuel contributor The death at 91 of Francis Joshua Handy brings to end one of the more remarkable and colourful New Zealand legal-commercial careers of recent times. From the South Island Frank Handy was a son of the Manse and throughout his life constantly displayed the… Read more: Frank Handy Oilman Lawyer from Maui to North Sea

31. David Bricklebank The ‘bank’ is in the name and David Bricklebank’s role in New Zealand’s largest bank with assets exceeding $180 billion is one of significance given the increased regulatory and compliance requirements affecting all financial institutions.  As General Counsel and Company Secretary of Athe bank since 2017, he holds a key role in… Read more: LawFuel Power List 2024 – Nos. 31 – 50

LawFuel Power List 2024 During the year, the legal profession has seen new entrants, as an emerging number of influential commercial lawyers and litigators increasingly exert their influence over the profession. Women continue to also better reflect the preponderance of women law graduates as capable and effective women lawyers play a key role in shaping… Read more: New Zealands Top Lawyers