The Dentons partner discusses why the representative side of the role excites him
November started off on a significant note for Dentons partner David Campbell when he was formally announced as the president-elect of the New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa. Campbell has been vice president of the organisation’s board since 2022, and as he prepares to take the helm, he prepares to follow in the footsteps of trailblazers like Dame Judith Potter.
In the first part of this interview, Campbell explains some of the changes to the Law Society’s constitution and tells us what aspect of his new role he’s most excited about.
How did it feel for you to find out that you were going to be the next president of the Law Society?
It felt good – I think it's a real privilege to have the role, and I'm pleased that the board has made the appointment and that the council's ratified it. It shows that they've got some confidence in me, for which I'm grateful. I realise, of course, that it's going to be a lot of work and a lot of responsibility, so I'm realistic about that.
I think the Law Society's does play a pretty important role, and it's increasingly offering improved value to members. I’m happy to be a part of that and a part of their progress. I think I'm the third president from my firm, and it's pretty nice to be following in the footsteps of Dame Judith Potter and Ian Haynes.
When you were appointed to the role, did it come as a surprise, or did you see it coming?
It's certainly not a surprise. The possibility of taking the role or accepting the role, I suppose, had already emerged over perhaps the last six months, or perhaps even a little bit longer. There's been a change to the Law Society’s constitution, which means it's no longer a role that is open to all of the profession and as is contested by way of election. Instead we've got a more modern constitution now that allows the board to have a more active role in succession. They make the appointment, and the appointment is subject to ratification by the Law Society’s ultimate governing body, which is the council.
Those of us who are on the board, we've been making sustained contributions over quite a long period now, and this is the opportunity to contribute even more. It feels like it's the right time for me, age and stage wise. It's got a great deal more real because the transition is 28 March and that is looming.
When Frazer Barton went on leave for a brief period, you mentioned that the rest of the board took on his responsibilities during that time. Did that help prepare you for the role in any way?
It's preparation we could have all done without because it was very tough on Frazer, having to take leave through that period. But I think the board operated well – we managed to share his workload around and I think we all got a bit of a taste for it. So I'm going into things with my eyes open because although I didn't see nearly as much as he sees on a weekly or daily basis, I did start to get a feel for it.
What aspect of becoming president are you most excited about?
I've got quite a firm answer in relation to that, and that’s the Law Society's representative offering. There's been a lot of positive progress in that space and there's needed to be because there's been an imperative to move towards financial stability, and to do so we're having to ensure that we're offering value to members. The Law Society's getting the uptake it wants in relation to members, so I'm pretty keen on making sure that work continues and that the Law Society does it well.
So I’m very much motivated and excited by the representative side. That's not to say that the regulatory side isn't important – it's actually fundamental, and it's core to what the Law Society does. But in terms of what we can achieve over the next little while, that's where I'm excited about our focus.
In the next part of this interview, Campbell will touch on what he considers to be the most challenging aspect of the presidency and what he regards as the Law Society's key contribution to the profession.
