LawFuel Power Lists 2025 No. 13 Allen’s appointment as Chief Ombudsman (January 2025, taking office March 31) fills Peter Boshier’s activist shoes. His CV is eclectic: commercial litigation at Rudd Watts & Stone, CEO of New Zealand Post, Secretary of Foreign Affairs (MFAT), Chair of NZ Racing Board. Few lawyers have run a $1 billion […]
LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 6 Maria Dew completed her two-year term as NZ Bar Association president in 2024, but her influence only sharpened. She’s the profession’s trusted investigator-in-chief – the Royal Australasian College of Physicians review (2025, critical of examination processes), the Hamilton Crown Solicitor workplace conduct probe, historic Labour Party abuse allegations, the
LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 5 Laracy returned to Crown Law in January 2021 after a 15-year tenure as Crown Counsel and a stint as Deputy Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security. That résumé spanning national security, criminal appeals, and sensitive governmental processes positions her as Jagose’s likely successor when the Solicitor-General departs in February 2026.
LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 14 Salmon’s 2025 profile case was the Talleys v. TVNZ defamation battle (September 2025), resulting in a win with a dismissal of the claim. His practice is astonishingly diverse: representing the Independent Māori Statutory Board against Auckland Council (judicial review over Watercare chairmanship), Northland kaumatua Mike Smith in climate change
LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 15 The former Attorney-General (2008-2016) remains New Zealand’s pre-eminent Treaty of Waitangi and constitutional lawyer. His 2025 work included leading Hawke’s Bay councils’ negotiations with government over Cyclone Gabrielle recovery and representing former Labour ministers called before the Covid Royal Commission (they refused attendance; Finlayson provided cover). His memoir, Yes,
LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 16 Hunter is Shortland Chambers’ go-to commercial silk—ANZ, BNZ, Commerce Commission, Kiwi Property, Metlifecare, Precinct, Rabobank, Vector, Vero, Westpac. His practice spans banking, company law, contract disputes, negligence claims, regulatory matters. One of few silks ranked Band 1 by both Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500, he’s admitted to
LawFuel Power List 2025 Walker holds the South Auckland warrant alongside Alysha McClintock’s Auckland brief, managing major prosecutions in one of New Zealand’s busiest jurisdictions. South Auckland’s crime rates—particularly serious violence and gang-related offenses—mean Walker’s team handles high-volume, high-stakes cases with limited resources. She’s been leading prosecutions at Meredith Connell for years, earning respect for
LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 19 Gatland joined the Financial Markets Authority in December 2017 from the Serious Fraud Office and Meredith Connell. Her enforcement portfolio has sharpened: civil claims against Tower Insurance, litigation involving Rockfort Markets, high-profile Du Val property group prosecution. With CCCFA enforcement transferring to the FMA, her regulatory remit expands. The
Cadwalader’s planned merger with Hogan Lovells is less a love story and more a rescue mission with excellent branding, creating a 3,100‑lawyer, US$3.6 billion outfit that will instantly sit in the global top five by revenue.
For Hogan Lovells, it is scale and New York depth; for Cadwalader, it is survival with dignity and a new logo.
The combined Hogan Lovells Cadwalader will have about 3,100 lawyers and more than US$3.6 billion in annual revenue based on 2024 figures, making it the world’s fifth‑largest firm by revenue and one of the largest law firm mergers ever attempted. – Register to read more . . .
3,100 Lawyers, One Story Get Big, Get Niche, or Get Bought Read More »
LawFuel Power List 2025 No. 20 Reed continues tackling high-profile cases at the intersection of criminal and civil law. Her October 2024 Whakaari Management High Court appeal challenging the company’s conviction over the 2019 volcanic eruption killing 22 people argued the ruling had “concerning implications” for landlords permitting adventure activities. This year she excoriated the
