LawFuel Power List 2025
No. 11
Russell secured a $135.6 million ASB settlement in October 2025, one of New Zealand’s largest banking payouts without a liability admission, after four years of class action litigation over Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act disclosure breaches.
The ANZ case continues. That’s plaintiff-side power: making banks sweat, resisting retrospective legislative fixes (the government tried; Russell’s legal team fought back), and delivering results for retail borrowers who’d normally be steamrolled by corporate counsel.
A Harvard Law School graduate and former Fulbright scholar, Russell combines academic pedigree with courtroom grit. His David v. Goliath bank battle was certainly not unaided, with the support of LPF Group (Power List member Phil Newland) and senior legal support from Davey Salmon KC and Ali Van Ammers, but his ability to front the action puts him in a position of rapid ascension to the List this year.
His entry reflects impact – 2025’s banner plaintiff victory in financial services, achieved against well-resourced defendants and political headwinds. Expect him to rise if ANZ folds.
