AUGUSTA, Ga., 18 April 2024 — Today, Best Lawyers^® proudly recognizes the exceptional achievements of New Zealand’s legal elite. The newly released 16^th edition of The Best Lawyers in New Zealand™ showcase the brilliance and dedication of more than 600 lawyers in the legal community. This year, the 45% increase in voter participation underscores the growing importance of The Best Lawyers in New Zealand, with Litigation, Corporate Law and Intellectual Property Law emerging as the leading practice groups.

These professionals have earned their place in the Best Lawyers listings through a rigorous peer nomination process, colleague voting and meticulous evaluation. Their expertise spans diverse practice areas, making them the trusted advisors clients turn to when navigating complex legal matters.

“Best Lawyers recognitions are more than accolades, as they are often a compass guiding clients toward exceptional legal representation based purely on peer feedback supported by our rigorous and time-tested methodology,” said Phillip Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers. "For over four decades, Best Lawyers has harnessed the collective wisdom of leading legal minds and this year’s edition continues this legacy of excellence.”

The 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in New Zealand recognizes the professional excellence of 601 lawyers in 69 practices across four metropolitan areas. In addition to individual lawyer recognitions, 60 lawyers were recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” honorees, awarded to the lawyers with the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region.

The Best Lawyers Purely Peer Review™ methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. These awards are presented to lawyers who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice. Those who receive high peer reviews are recognized and represent the top 5.5% of lawyers in New Zealand.

For research purposes, smaller and more rural cities located within a reasonable distance of larger cities are combined into single geographical regions called “metro areas” to help collect as much feedback and data as possible. Auckland is the metro area with the largest number of listed lawyers.

Search The Best Lawyers in New Zealand results by lawyer name, firm, region and practice area by visiting www.bestlawyers.com.