Kōrero: bar news

Bankside Chambers

We began this year with a Band 1 ranking in Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific Guide Rankings 2023, with 14 Bankside barristers receiving rankings. We congratulate these barristers for this outstanding achievement. We also congratulate other chambers in Aotearoa who received rankings.

We warmly welcome our newest members, Brian Dickey and Bridgette White.

Brian Dickey

Following his announcement last year that he would be stepping down as Auckland Crown Solicitor and leaving the partnership at Meredith Connell to commence practice as a barrister, Brian Dickey announced that he would join Bankside in February 2023: “It is a great set of chambers to be joining.

I have loved my time at Meredith Connell and as Crown Solicitor and working with my private clients. I now look forward to continuing to work with leading private sector clients.” Brian’s experience and expertise places him extremely well to assist in substantial contentious cases whether arising in commercial, regulatory or disciplinary contexts.

Bridgette White

Previously a senior litigator at Russell McVeagh, Bridgette White is an experienced commercial, regulatory and insolvency litigator. She has expertise in complex contractual and commercial disputes, regulatory investigations, enforcement activity and prosecutions, fair trading and consumer protection claims as well as insolvency claims. Bridgette has acted on a range of high-profile cases and investigations across a diverse range of industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, construction, consumer and financial markets. “Joining the independent bar has long been a career goal,” Bridgette says, “and I’m so thrilled to have taken this step in my career.”

We are also delighted to announce that Karen Chow has joined Bankside Chambers Singapore as an Associate Member and Rina See will be joining in the coming months.

Karen and Rina are international dispute-resolution specialists, bringing with them a wealth of legal expertise and knowledge of the Asian-Pacific region to Bankside Singapore.

Karen Chow and Rina See

We congratulate David Johnstone on his appointment as a Judge of the High Court, announced on 2nd December 2022. Justice Johnstone takes up his appointment on 22nd February 2023, sitting in Auckland. Brian Dickey praises David: “David’s contribution to the conduct of Crown Prosecutions in New Zealand has been enormous. In particular, he transformed and modernised the way we approach complex and serious organised crime cases. His considered and practical approach to cases and his understanding of people sets him well for his role as a High Court Judge. He will be missed as a colleague."

Hon. David Johnstone

Her Honour Judge Kate Davenport KC

We are delighted for Kate Davenport KC on her new appointment as a District Court Judge. Kate has been a longstanding and cherished member of Bankside. “Kate will be a huge asset to the District Court,” shares Laura O’Gorman KC on behalf of Bankside’s Board, “bringing a wealth of commercial experience and acumen. We will miss her greatly, but look forward to seeing what she will achieve in this next phase of her career.”

In her farewell letter to Bankside, Kate writes: “There is sadness in leaving but also enthusiasm for this new job. I hope that I can give back to the profession and society something which can help make even a small difference to the lives of the people that will appear before me. My life will be different now but still connected with the job that I love so much – that of the application of the law to society.”

Lambton Chambers

The members of Lambton Chambers are sad to announce the departure from Chambers of David Milliken who retired from legal practice on 31 March. David is a highly respected family law specialist and a senior lawyer for children. He has been with Chambers for 10 years. Before that, he was a member of Waterfront Chambers and a solicitor in firms in Hamilton and Auckland. David is a delight to work with and will be greatly missed. David, we wish you all the best for your retirement.

The members of Lambton Chambers are delighted to announce that Finn Collins will be joining Chambers from 1 April. Finn is a highly regarded construction disputes lawyer, with over 20 years of experience in construction disputes and procurement. Apart from some years taken out to work with a specialist construction law firm in the UK, he has worked at Gibson Sheat Lawyers since 2003. He was made a partner at Gibson Sheat in 2013 and developed and led its construction law practice. Finn is well-known for being approachable and commercially minded, and we welcome him to the independent bar and to Lambton Chambers.

Thorndon Chambers

Max Harris

Max Harris has joined Thorndon Chambers after a period working in policy, academia, and campaigns. His focus is on public law (especially the law on the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990), Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and issues at the intersection of criminal and public law. He will continue parttime policy, campaigning, and writing work while at Thorndon Chambers and remains based in Auckland.

Diana Qui

Diana Qiu is a junior barrister at Thorndon Chambers. She is a former judge’s clerk to the President of the Court of Appeal and the current Arbitration Scholar of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand. During her undergraduate studies, Diana competed in a number of international moots, including the Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Diana has particular interests in arbitration, public law and international law.

Nerys Udy

Nerys Udy (Ngāi Tahu) started with Thorndon Chambers as a junior barrister in February. She previously clerked for Chief Justice Winkelmann in the Supreme Court, working across a wide range of civil and criminal appeals. Nerys is looking forward to gaining further experience in civil and commercial matters as a junior barrister.