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Doyle’s Guide builds its rankings from peer and client nominations rather than firm submissions, and insists they can’t be bought. Ranked practitioners can, of course, pay to dress up their profiles afterwards.
Strip away the chambers newsletters and LinkedIn victory laps, and the 2026 commercial litigation lists (July) and environment and resource management lists (April) tell a story that is less flattering than the press releases suggest.
1. Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
King’s Counsel
Five silks make the Preeminent tier: David Cooper KC, Jenny Cooper KC and Stephen Hunter KC (all Shortland Chambers), Jason Goodall KC (Bankside Chambers) and Davey Salmon KC (Mills Lane Chambers).
Ten of the 26 ranked commercial silks are based at Shortland Chambers, including Sarah Armstrong KC, Alan Galbraith KC, Bob Hollyman KC and Daniel McLellan KC in the Leading tier. The number is 11 if Jack Hodder (pictured) is also counted.
Bankside adds five more: Goodall; Michael Colson KC, Christine Meechan KC and Tom Weston KC (Leading); and Brian Dickey KC (Recommended). Together the two sets hold well over half the list.
In Wellington, Thorndon Chambers is credited with two Leading silks, Jack Hodder KC and Daniel Kalderimis KC, though Hodder also appears on Shortland’s member list. Stout Street’s James Every-Palmer KC and Justin Smith KC as Recommended.
Doyle’s lists Hodder at Thorndon although he is also a Shortland member and of course, Shortland claiim him as one of its members too.
Junior Counsel
Bankside claims the largest haul of ranked juniors, with ten, and is happy to itemise them. Jeremy Johnson and Polly Pope (right) are Preeminent; Sam Lowery, Michael Morrison, Brent O’Callahan, Josh Suyker and Bridgette White are Leading.
Shortland counters with six: Matthew Harris, James Little, Desley Horton, Julian Long, Andrew Peat and Daisy Williams. Its announcement, tellingly maybe, doesn’t mention tiers.
Solicitors and Firms
Sophie East (Bell Gully) and Martin Smith (Gilbert Walker) are the only Preeminent solicitors. Bell Gully and Russell McVeagh sit alone in the First Tier, with Buddle Findlay, Chapman Tripp, MinterEllisonRuddWatts and Simpson Grierson in the Second.
The real story is one rung down where we have Gilbert Walker, Lindsay Francis & Mangan and Christchurch’s Campbell Westaway sharing the Third Tier with DLA Piper and Anthony Harper, which is a strong showing for firms a fraction of their size. Lindsay Francis & Mangan’s Kim Francis and Tim Lindsay are both ranked Leading.
2. Environment & Resource Management
Barristers
Bronwyn Carruthers KC (Shortland Chambers, above) and Bal Matheson KC (Richmond Chambers) share the Preeminent silk tier. Sally Gepp KC and Russell Bartlett KC are Recommended. Among juniors, Andrew Beatson (Richmond Chambers) and Hamilton’s Lachlan Muldowney (Panama Square) are Preeminent.
Solicitors and Firms
Douglas Allan (Ellis Gould) and Allison Arthur-Young (Russell McVeagh) are Preeminent. Russell McVeagh and Simpson Grierson share the First Tier.
The regions do better here than in litigation, but not as well as South Island marketing departments might hope.
Anderson Lloyd stands out, reaching the Second Tier with Leading solicitors Jo Appleyard (Christchurch) and Maree Baker-Galloway (Queenstown).
Simpson Grierson’s Sarah Scott is also ranked Leading from Christchurch, and Lane Neave (Queenstown) and Holland Beckett (Tauranga) are Recommended. Even so, half of all ranked RMA solicitors work in Auckland.
Key Takeaways
Gilbert Walker and Lindsay Francis & Mangan produce individual rankings most mid-tier partnerships would envy, but the two-firm First Tier remains untouched.
The commercial bar is a two-set town. Shortland and Bankside account for more than half the ranked commercial silks. Bankside’s press release leads with the numbers; Shortland’s takes a more understated line.
RMA is more regional, not decentralised. Anderson Lloyd has broken into the upper tiers from the south. Queen Street and the Terrace still hold most of the seats.
So there we have the Doyle breakdown this year.
