23 Feb 2026

World Bar Conference comes to Queenstown

Summary

The 2026 World Bar Conference, to be held in Queenstown on 4–5 September, will bring together barristers and bar leaders from across common law jurisdictions to examine how the profession should respond when the rule of law comes under strain, with long-standing partners such as LexisNexis New Zealand, committed to strengthening the independent bar, enabling access to global perspectives and supporting both local members and international delegates.

The theme, "Navigating the Chaos: The Role of Barristers Today", reflects a moment when long-held assumptions about democratic institutions are being tested.

For New Zealand practitioners, the conference represents both an opportunity to learn from international colleagues and a chance to showcase how smaller common law jurisdictions are approaching access to justice, artificial intelligence and climate litigation, even as the largest player with such a rulesbased system increasingly undermines it.

When executive power goes unchecked

The conference, organised by the International Council of Advocates and Barristers (ICAB), takes place against a backdrop that would have seemed implausible just a few years ago. Recent events in the United States have forced legal professionals across common law jurisdictions to reconsider assumptions about the resilience of their own systems.

"We've seen in the US a manifest failure in the “checks and balances” protecting the legal system," said Kylie Nomchong SC, State Chambers in Sydney and conference chair for the Australian Bar Association. "They obviously don't have barristers, but the reports have been that many large law firms have folded to executive power threats. For example, on the diversity and equity front we have seen major law firms (and other corporations) pulling apart their diversity and LGBTIQ programmes, because the [US] President said, if you maintain those policies, we're not going to give you any government work."

The lesson, Nomchong SC explained, goes to the heart of who upholds the rule of law when it is under stress.

"What we're looking at is not just how the rule of law is manifesting in systems. It's also that the rule of law is manifested by the persons who uphold them," Nomchong said. "And I'd like to think that we as barristers wouldn't fold."

Simon Foote KC, of Bankside Chambers in Auckland, president-elect of the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o Aotearoa and NZ conference chair, acknowledged the difficult position legal practitioners face when personal interests collide with professional obligations.

"It's interesting to see what happens when people in a position of power strike at things personal to others," Foote KC said. "Those law firms [in the US] have partners with big financial responsibilities to their families, and all of a sudden, their ethical and legal responsibilities, which I'm sure they understand and take seriously, collide seriously with their personal financial interests."

While observers in New Zealand and Australia are appalled when livelihoods appear to win out over principle, the speed with which many US law firms capitulated shows just how fragile the rule of law can be.

"It's been a great shock to everyone, certainly been a great shock to me, to see that in the space of a little over a year, the abuse of executive powers in the US has been largely unchecked by the rule of law in America," Nomchong said.

A chance for solidarity among common law jurisdictions

The question of whether a united front between independent common law bars worldwide represented by ICAB still makes a practical difference or whether its value has become largely symbolic in this new world is central to the organisation’s mandate of promoting the rule of law and access to justice. For organisers, the answer is unequivocal.

"If we see an attack on the rule of law, then we need to be reaching out to our colleagues in other jurisdictions to assist them, to give practical assistance," Nomchong said. "That collegiality must make a difference."

"The common law system emanates from, essentially, the UK," Foote said. "So I think it's hugely important that the jurisdictions that have inherited the common law system share ideas and strengthen their relationships … those relationships and the ideals that we share should serve as a bulwark against the erosion of the rule of law being. At the least, we can create a record what has happened and why. "

New Zealand at the forefront

One session will examine challenges in merging cultural legal traditions with the common law, a topic where New Zealand finds itself in a unique position.

"New Zealand is at the forefront of that issue because of the willingness and the ability of Māori in particular to promote the influence of tikanga on our law," Foote said.

Similar issues exist in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, making the cross-jurisdictional exchange particularly valuable. The antipodean countries have always had a strong voice and role to play in shaping international norms.

"Everyone would accept that Australia and New Zealand have always punched above their weight in terms of the rule of law," Nomchong said. "New Zealand was the first country to have the female vote, and Australia followed close behind. We also have a strong record in adopting international treaties on human rights, and both our countries have engaged strongly in international legal forums."

For Foote, the value of participation in international forums extends beyond what New Zealand can learn.

"It's really exciting for New Zealanders to have practitioners and judiciary from foreign jurisdictions come to our shores to share ideas and knowledge," Foote said.

Beyond the minutiae

The conference will also tackle questions of fairness and equity in the modern criminal justice system, including whether jury trials remain fit for purpose and the appropriate age of criminal responsibility. Other sessions will address climate change litigation, with particular attention to how large corporations can be held accountable by shareholders and society.

An artificial intelligence session will explore what technology initiatives mean for barristers, reflecting on how quickly the field of AI continues to develop.

"I think every conference I've been to over the last two or three years has included an AI session," Foote said. "But the topic doesn't get stale, because AI is moving so quickly."

The conference will also examine whether the bench and bar are representative of their societies, an issue that has been prominent in both Australia and New Zealand particularly regarding the bench. Another session will focus on arbitration as a leading form of advocacy beyond the courtroom.

What distinguishes this gathering from typical continuing professional development is its focus on systemic questions rather than technical updates.

"Most domestic CPD sessions are focused on the specifics of practice in your particular domestic jurisdiction and speciality," Foote said. "But this conference is about the bigger picture; how the common law system (and the rule of law that underpins it) is meant to work."

Nomchong said being able to talk about the bigger picture with extremely high calibre colleagues from around the world was inspirational in a way that domestic conferences could not match.

“It is very energising," she said.

The human connection

This will be the second time Queenstown has hosted the International Council of Advocates and Barristers conference. The 2014 gathering left a lasting impression on attendees.

"There was a fantastic atmosphere. We all have a clear memory of the spirit of that conference and it was superb; the shared purpose of what barristers stand for in terms of upholding the rule of law, providing access to justice, and sharing our own personal experiences," Foote said. "It's not an easy job at times. It's a really good job, but it's also a tough job. Sharing those kinds of experiences and how we cope with it, and hearing about the different ways of going about it, is really exciting."

Nomchong noted that the pandemic had disrupted the human connections that make such conferences valuable, while also making connecting remotely de jour.

"It really did put the kibosh on the human face of collaboration," Nomchong said. "People [now] say, oh, why do I have to meet you face to face? Why do I have to go to a conference? Well, we all know that the value of a discussion in a face-to-face environment is completely different, and I think it's really important to establish that human collegiate connection again."

Creating environments for discourse

When asked about their ideal outcomes, both organisers emphasised the creation of space for open conversation about challenges to the rule of law.

"Creating an environment in which there can be discourse, open discourse, about the rule of law being in chaos, what's caused it, how we can prevent it from seeping into our own jurisdictions, how we can provide collaborative efforts across borders to help each other," Nomchong said.

She cited Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent speech at Davos as a touchstone.

"There is an analogy of Carney’s coalition of the middle powers where we could see ourselves as becoming leaders in relation to how the world's law should operate. That's what I'd like to see coming out of this collaboration."

The bar presidents' panel will bring together leaders from the Bar Councils of England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, possibly Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), and Northern Ireland to discuss the particular challenges in their jurisdictions, particularly relating to the rule of law and access to justice."

Foote offered a reminder of what underpins all the conference sessions.

"Without the rule of law, society breaks down one way or the other. If people are totally disenfranchised from the justice system, that leads to anarchy; if you have people at the top insulated from the system, that leads to autocracy. So is the rule of law important? Yes, I think it is vitally important. But I think the real discussion will be, how do we as barristers best fight to maintain it?"

Key Topics

The 2026 World Bar Conference will cover:

  • New Approaches to the Perpetual Access to Justice Challenge
  • The Rule of Law Under Attack
  • Bar President's Panel
  • Artificial Advocacy Intelligence Is Here (To Stay): What it means for Barristers
  • The Bench and Bar as Representative of our Societies
  • Challenges in Merging Cultural Legal Traditions and the Common Law
  • Beyond Courtroom Advocacy: Arbitration
  • Fairness and Efficiency: The Modern Criminal Justice System
  • Climate Change Litigation
  • Continuity and Change in the Common Law

The World Bar Conference will be held in Queenstown, New Zealand on 4-5 September 2026. Further information is available at https://na.eventscloud.com/website/93016/

Sponsorship note: This article was produced in partnership with LexisNexis, a long-standing partner of the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o Aotearoa which works closely with the profession to support its members and facilitate meaningful international engagement on issues affecting the rule of law.