A leading barrister, Jeremy Johnson is an experienced trial, arbitration and appellate advocate with expertise in commercial, shareholder, insolvency, relationship property, equity and trust law.
Since 2013 he has been ranked as a leading dispute resolution practitioner in the Chambers Asia Pacific and Chambers Global directories. Jeremy works on cases across New Zealand and in the wider Asia-Pacific region. Jeremy is a member of Bankside Chambers in Singapore. He is registered with the Singapore International Commercial Court.
Jeremy has considerable experience in high value and legally complicated matters, including as lead counsel in large multi-week trials, complex appeals, and multi-jurisdictional cases. He also has experience acting as an arbitrator in shareholder and leasing disputes.
Described as an “excellent strategic litigator and thinker”, Jeremy is known for quickly grasping a legal situation, providing accurate and commercially realistic advice and for his oral advocacy and cross-examination skills. Called “a very good communicator” whose “approach in court discourteous and disarming”, Jeremy regularly appears as lead counsel in the High Court and Court of Appeal as well as in arbitral tribunals.
Jeremy has also acted as an arbitrator in shareholder and leasing disputes in the past.
Jeremy is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and holds a STEP Advanced Certificate in Trust Disputes, placing first in his global class. He was the youngest person to become a Fellow of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand. He also received the Ronald Davison Award for excellence in arbitral award writing.
Outside of work, Jeremy is active in the community. He serves as Deputy Legal Adviser to the Primates of New Zealand and is the Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Waiapu. From 2008 to 2020 was the Vice-Chancellor and then Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch. He also served as a member of the Legislation Design Advisory Committee which reviews proposed legislation for the Attorney-General and Parliament.
Jeremy is actively involved in governance. He is a Fellow of Christ’s College, Canterbury, and is a past President of the Christ’s College Old Boys’ Association. He is also the Chair of the New Zealand String Quartet Trust.
Jeremy has a BA and LLB (Hons) from the University of Canterbury and an LLM, with first class honours, from the University of Cambridge.
