Christopher Finlayson Barrister  Qualifications BA, LLM, Victoria University of Wellington  Admitted 1981 New Zealand  Contact Details Phone: +64 4 914 1050 Mobile: +64 21 892 119 Fax: +64 4 473 3179 Email: c.finlayson@barristerscomm.com

Christopher Finlayson

Christopher Finlayson has been a Member of Parliament since 2005 and was appointed Attorney General in November 2008.  Accordingly, he is not currently able to accept instructions.

Background

Christopher's practice as a barrister in Wellington involved his specialising in private international and public law litigation.  Over the years he has also had extensive involvement in Commerce Act litigation.
 
Christopher was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in February 1981.  He was a partner in Brandon Brookfield from 1986 to 1990 and then in Bell Gully from 1991 to 2003.
 
Since his admission, Christopher has appeared in all courts of New Zealand, including 7 appearances in the Privy Council, including as counsel for the New Zealand Bar Association in Harley v McDonald [2001] 2 WLR 1749 and counsel for the British Government in Attorney-General for England and Wales v R (a decision of the Privy Council delivered on 17 March 2003).  He also has extensive experience appearing before tribunals and local authorities in New Zealand.
 
Apart from his professional pursuits, Christopher has had a great deal of experience teaching in the Law Faculty of Victoria University.  Since 1987 he has taught civil procedure for LLB, conflict of laws both for LLB and for LLM, intellectual property for LLB (Hons) and ethics for LLB.
 
He has served his profession as a Law Society representative on the New Zealand Council of Law Reporting from 1990 until 1998 and the New Zealand Council of Legal Education from 1992 until 1998.  He was until recently a Law Society representative on the High Court Rules Committee.
 
Christopher is a co-author of McGechan on Procedure, the leading New Zealand text on the practice and procedure of the courts of New Zealand and was the founding editor of the Procedure Reports of New Zealand.  He has written papers on many subjects over the years, including intellectual property, litigation and conflicts of interest and has presented New Zealand Law Society seminars on High Court practice, conflicts of interest and limitation.
 
In 1995, Christopher was appointed to the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand.  He was chair from 1998 until 2001.  He has been a trustee of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand and on the Board of the New Zealand String Quartet Trust.

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