Bell Gully is proud to celebrate outstanding individual recognition, with Sophie East, Jesse Wilson, Rachael Brown, Tim Fitzgerald, and Kirsty Dobbs named Litigation Stars in New Zealand in the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2026 rankings, along with Alix Boberg’s recognition as a Future Star.
The firm has also retained its Tier 1 Firm ranking in: Commercial and Transactions, reaffirming Bell Gully’s position as New Zealand’s leading litigation law firm. Benchmark Litigation rankings are awarded following extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists, and clients, alongside detailed analysis of the market’s most significant cases and developments.
“This follows news that Bell Gully has been nominated for New Zealand’s Firm of the Year in the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2026 awards and is an outstanding result for both our lawyers and the firm,” said Bell Gully Chair, Torrin Crowther. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication our lawyers bring to their work for clients every day. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
All the individual lawyers named were ranked in the Commercial and Transactions category with Tim also ranked for Restructuring and Insolvency and Rachael for Labour and Employment.
Sophie has additionally been identified as one of Benchmark Litigations’ Top 100 Women in Litigation across the Asia Pacific region in the 2026 rankings. In April, Sophie was nominated for New Zealand Lawyer of the Year in the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2026 awards, to be held July 2 in Beijing.
Crowther said the results reflect both the litigation expertise and the team’s commitment to delivering exceptional outcomes for clients across complex and high-profile disputes.
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