David Gary Johnstone begins sitting in Auckland next February
Former Meredith Connell partner and barrister David Gary Johnstone has been announced as a new High Court judge.
According to Attorney‑General David Parker, Johnstone will begin sitting in Auckland on 22 February 2023. Since joining the independent bar earlier this year, the justice has focused on criminal law and commercial compliance, investigations and proceedings.
Johnstone began his legal career as a solicitor with Bell Gully, where he concentrated on general commercial litigation. He then moved to Meredith Connell in 1998, where he handled District Court and then High Court jury trials and regulatory prosecutions, and civil proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 1991.
In 2005, he made partner at the firm, specialising in matters related to organised crime, corruption, serious fraud and national security. He became part of the Serious Fraud Office’s prosecutors' panel in 2014.
Johnstone holds a BCom/LLB(Hons) from the University of Auckland, and an LLM(Hons) from the University of Cambridge.
