Founded in Wellington in 1875 — the year when New Zealand’s capital was still less than a decade old as a formal city — Chapman Tripp has spent a century and a half becoming the unambiguous leader of New Zealand commercial law. New Zealand’s largest commercial law firm, considered one of the “big three” alongside Russell McVeagh and Bell Gully, Chapman Tripp has pulled steadily ahead of its rivals in recent years on almost every metric that matters: deal volume, league table rankings, innovation and graduate employer awards.
Named New Zealand Law Firm of the Year at the KangaNews Awards for a tenth consecutive year in 2025 — a run that has now become something of an institution in its own right. The firm marked its 150th anniversary in 2025 while continuing to advise on the country’s largest and most complex transactions, from infrastructure and capital markets to corporate M&A and regulatory matters. For any international lawyer or client seeking the best commercial law capability in New Zealand, Chapman Tripp is the first call.
Practice Strengths
Market Leader / National Dominant — the clear number one in New Zealand commercial law by most independent measures. More top-tier rankings than any other New Zealand firm in Legal 500 and IFLR 1000. Law Fuel Band 1 Chambers ranking in corporate/commercial. The only New Zealand law firm ranked in the Global Arbitration Review's annual guide. Not competing on a global stage in the way that international firms do, but within the New Zealand market there is no peer.
Strategic Reach
Three offices: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Approximately 56 partners and over 400 staff nationally. Wikipedia The Auckland office is the firm's largest and serves New Zealand's commercial and financial hub; Wellington is the centre of government, regulatory and public law work; Christchurch handles the South Island. The firm does not maintain international offices — New Zealand's market size makes this impractical — but operates through strong international alliance relationships and has deep connections with the leading Australian and Asia-Pacific firms for cross-border work. The firm's international arbitration practice, led by partner Nicola Swan, is the only New Zealand practice ranked in the Global Arbitration Review guide Home, giving it a distinctive international profile in contentious matters.
