Appointment of Judge of the Court of Appeal

The Honourable Justice Denis Clifford has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Justice Clifford graduated LLB (Hons) from Victoria University of Wellington in 1978. He joined the Wellington law firm Buddle Anderson Kent & Co, leaving in 1980 to take up a position as Visiting Fellow at the University of Illinois Law School.

In 1982 Justice Clifford returned to New Zealand to work for Buddle Findlay before moving to London in 1984 to work for Slaughter and May. He returned to New Zealand in 1986 and became a partner at Buddle Findlay, a position he held until 2001. From 1998 to 2000 Justice Clifford was on secondment with the Policy Advisory Group in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. He joined the independent bar in 2002.

Justice Clifford was appointed a Judge of the High Court in April 2006.