Dr Andrew Butler KC

Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) – University College Dublin, 1989

Master of Laws (LLM) – Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto, 1991

Doctor of Laws (PHD) – European University Institute, Florence, 2002

Andrew is a leading commercial silk, drawing on his experience as a litigation partner at leading New Zealand commercial law firm, Russell McVeagh. He has acted for clients across a wide range of industries (including electricity, gas, airports, banking, healthcare) and legal subject matter (including cross-border tax, economic regulation, contract, trusts, private international law, company and securities law). His clients have included some of New Zealand’s largest banks, infrastructure companies and high net worth families. 

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An area of particular expertise is trust and relationship property (including international trust) disputes. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has appeared in many leading trust cases in New Zealand and has given expert evidence on New Zealand trusts law before a number of overseas courts. He has been consistently ranked by all major legal directories.  

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Andrew also has a strong portfolio of work in public law, enabling him to confidently handle issues of public international law, judicial review, human rights and constitutional law. He is an author of several leading texts in New Zealand and has published widely overseas. 

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He is admitted to the bar in New Zealand and Australia. He is a proficient speaker of German and Italian.  He holds Irish and New Zealand nationality and is available to act as an arbitrator.

Wellington International Airport & Ors v Commerce Commission (ongoing; substantive hearing July 2025)

Acting as senior counsel for Quantas Airlines in an ongoing case (substantive hearing is in July 2025), as to whether input methodologies on airport services pricing meet the purposes of economic regulation of monopoly aeronautical services suppliers.

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Cooper v Pinney [2024] NZSC 181

Successfully acted as senior counsel for the trustees in a case where it was held that powers given to trustees of a discretionary family trust are not ‘property’ for relationship property purposes.

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McCallum v McCallum [2021] NZCA 237

Acted as counsel for trustees in the leading judgment on the availability of Beddoe orders in trust litigation.

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Smith v Fonterra [2024] NZSC 5

Acted as senior counsel for the Human Rights Commission as intervenor on human rights-related issues as to whether New Zealand companies could potentially be subject to tort law duties for contributions to greenhouse gases.

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Maginness v Tiny Town Projects Ltd [2023] NZHC 494

Successfully acted as counsel for the tiny homes’ purchaser in a claim as to whether purchaser’s equitable lien was available over goods.

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Moncrief-Spittle v Regional Facilities Auckland Ltd [2022] NZSC 138

Andrew acted as counsel for the (successful) event facility where it was alleged that the cancellation of controversial speaker event was unlawful and in breach of NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990.

Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific Guide 2025: “Andrew Butler is very intelligent and is a subject matter expert in a number of fields. Andrew is very strategic and an incredible advocate.”

Equity and Trusts in New Zealand 3^rd ed (Thomson Reuters, 2025), general editor and contributor to many chapters

New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990: A Commentary 2^nd ed (LexisNexis, 2015), co-author

“Practice and procedure in the New Zealand Supreme Court” [2025] New Zealand Law Journal

“Arbitration of Trust Disputes under the Trusts Act 2019” [2022] New Zealand Law Journal

“New Zealand developments in equitable tracing and subrogation: overuse and underuse” (co-author N Walker) (2018) 24 Trusts & Trustees 879-890

“Review of trustees’ decisions under the Trusts Act 2019” [2022] New Zealand Law Review