List Of New Zealand’s Most Influential And Powerful Lawyers Sees More Women In The Power Roles Than Ever

More women lawyers than ever have made the list of New Zealand's most influential and powerful lawyers.

LawFuel website's annual 'Power List' of the country's most powerful lawyers has a record 23 women making the list, with six of the top 10 lawyers being women.

Currently Women make up over 52 per cent of the over 14,000 Zealand-based lawyers, outnumbering men for the first time in 2018. Currently over 60 per cent of those admitted to the profession are women.

The country's most powerful lawyer on the LawFuel List remains Attorney General David Parker, with Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy, who is to retire next month, remaining in number 2 position.

However the LawFuel list also includes a number of new entrants who have made the influential list,including LawFuel’s Lawyer of the Year Cassie Nicholson, Deputy Chief Parliamentary Counsel, who played a major role in the drafting and implementation of laws and regulations surrounding the Covid pandemic.

The pandemic has elevated others in the list, including Tania Warburton (at Number 15) who also played a key role in the pandemic work as a key influencer in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

MBIE’s top lawyer Anne Brennan is another power player who remains on this year’s list, being heavily involved in one of the Government’s most powerful departments.

Among the other new entrants are newly appointed Queens’ Counsel Davey Salmon, who has handled a number of high profile cases in recent years, and Invercargill QC Fiona Guy Kidd

Dispute resolution lawyer Daniel Kaldermis enters the list at number

and Maori law advocate Natalie Coates who handled the recent major win in the posthumous appeal on behalf of Christchurch creche worker Peter Ellis enters the list at number 43.

Among other new entrants are Google lobbyist and lawyer Ross Young and public lawyer and barrister Setareh Stienstra.

The LawFuel Power List is based on submissions from within the profession and research among senior lawyers at the Bar, inhouse and elsewhere and based upon their influence within the profession and upon New Zealand generally. It excludes politicians and the Judiciary, although Attorney General David Parker tops the list as the country’s most powerful lawyer.

See the full Power List at this link here.

About LawFuel - LawFuel is New Zealand’s leading, independent law news and jobs network, published online since 2001 and reaching lawyers across New Zealand and globally with news on law management, marketing, legal technology and careers.

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