New Court of Appeal Judge - Bill Wilson

William McLeod Wilson QC has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, Attorney-General Michael Cullen announced today.

Justice Wilson graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with an LLM (Hons). He joined the firm of Bell Gully & Co where he became partner in 1971. Justice Wilson continued as a partner when that firm merged to become Bell Gully Buddle Weir.

He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1996. Justice Wilson specialised in litigation principally in the areas of corporate, banking, securities, competition and media law. He held the position of legal advisor to the New Zealand Bankers Association, the New Zealand Educational Institute, the Newspapers Publishers Association and the New Zealand Press Association from 1979 to 1996.

Justice Wilson was a member of the Waitangi Tribunal from 1986 to 1995 as well has holding a number of positions on working parties, review panels and advisory groups. He is also the author of the Banking Law title in Laws of New Zealand.

He was Chair of the Appeal Council of the New Zealand Rugby Union in 2006, having been Deputy Chair in 2005.

Justice Wilson is expected to be sworn in early in the New Year.