Justin Graham Justin Graham

Justin Graham

Hoa Rangapū (Partner)
Auckland

Litigation & dispute resolution

With a reputation for managing and resolving complex commercial litigation and disputes, Justin is the head of our national Litigation practice.

He has frequently appeared as counsel in civil proceedings in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, international and domestic arbitrations, and specialist tribunals such as the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand. 

Justin is one of New Zealand's leading media and intellectual property lawyers, with extensive experience in defamation, privacy, patent, copyright and trade mark litigation.

A member of Te Waka Ture, our Māori Legal Group, Justin has advised many iwi including Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, on governance, Treaty of Waitangi, and Māori land issues.

Justin lectures at the University of Auckland, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, in corporate transactions, iwi governance and intellectual property law. He is the author of the New Zealand chapter of International Copyright Law published by Globe Law and Business.

He is recognised as a Leading Individual by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024 for dispute resolution and intellectual property.

Recent highlights

  • Acted as counsel to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei in its landmark win in the Supreme Court seeking to uphold rights of ahi ka and mana whenua in Tāmaki Makaurau in judicial review proceedings against the Crown.
  • Acted as counsel in numerous defamation proceedings, including the rare experience of appearing in a lengthy defamation jury trial.
  • With fellow partner Matt Sumpter, acted as counsel to Fisher & Paykel Healthcare in long-running, complex patent litigation.
  • Successfully defended the Ministry of Social Development in High Court judicial review litigation brought by Te Whānau O Waipareira Trust.
  • Acted in both the High Court and Court of Appeal in the landmark Hosking privacy litigation.
  • Advised and assisted Microsoft Corporation in the execution of a search warrant following a multi-national investigation into an internet pirate leading to one of the few criminal convictions under the Copyright Act 1994.

Affiliations

  • Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Justin's insights

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Chapman Tripp partners with medical technology innovator Mātai

We are proud to announce a new partnership with Mātai, a not-for-profit research centre focused on enhancing the capabilities of medical imaging (MRI) using advanced software and machine learning.

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Will COVID-19 and climate change make NZ more litigious?

Read our latest Trends & Insights publication including observations across class actions, litigation funding, climate change-related disputes and the changing environment for access to the courts.

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Tikanga Māori increasingly prevalent in law

NZ is in a period of transformative recognition of tikanga Māori in the law, now more prevalent in legislation and increasingly being recognised as an integral part of decision-making.

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Managing IP New Zealand Contentious Firm of the Year

​Chapman Tripp has won the New Zealand Contentious Firm of the Year Award 2019 at the Managing IP Asia-Pacific Awards.

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Defamation risk raised for publishers?

The embedding of the public interest defence to defamation has raised the bar for publishers.

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Iwi business flourishing – more benefits for members

The Māori economy has powered beyond $50b and business-savvy iwi are now extending their investment into more social initiatives that directly benefit iwi members.

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Crown-Māori relationship evolves as $50b industry grows

Continued growth in the Māori economy off the back of what has been a tumultuous Treaty settlement process will see more active participation of iwi groups in New Zealand’s domestic M&A market, Chapman Tripp says.

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Others in the team

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