Biographical note

Dr Andrew Butler is a litigator for Russell McVeagh in Wellington. He has extensive experience at trial and appellate level, in both public and commercial law, much of it high profile. He has been an academic lawyer at the Victoria University of Wellington and a member of the Crown Law Office. He has appeared frequently in the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court and is a leading authority in public law, human rights protection, judicial review and trusts and equity. He has also published on a range of commercial and public law issues. Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC was a law professor before entering New Zealand politics as the MP for Christchurch Central in 1979. In Parliament he held the offices of Attorney-General, Minister of Justice, Leader of the House, Minister for the Environment, Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister. Since leaving politics in 1990 he has been a law professor, a foundation partner of a law firm, President of the Law Commission, chair of the Legislation Advisory Committee, New Zealand's Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission, and chair of the Panel of Inquiry on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla Incident for the United Nations in New York. He is a Distinguished Fellow at the Faculty of Law Victoria University of Wellington and a Global Affiliated Professor of Law at the University of Iowa.