Brandwave

Large commercial law firms in New Zealand:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, Russell McVeagh was the most searched among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, with an estimated 3.7K branded searches and 15.7% estimated Share of Search within this set.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Russell McVeagh15.7%
  2. Buddle Findlay15.1%
  3. Chapman Tripp15.1%
  4. Simpson Grierson14.9%
  5. Bell Gully13%
  6. MinterEllisonRuddWatts11.7%
  7. Dentons8.7%
  8. DLA Piper6%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the largest commercial law firms advising businesses and government in New Zealand, using branded searches made in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, by month

Share of Search by month for Russell McVeagh, Buddle Findlay, Chapman Tripp, Simpson Grierson, Bell Gully, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Dentons, DLA Piper. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthRussell McVeaghBuddle FindlayChapman TrippSimpson GriersonBell GullyMinterEllisonRuddWattsDentonsDLA Piper
Oct 202515.3%13.2%13.8%15.4%13.3%12.5%11.2%5.2%
Nov 202518.1%12.7%14.9%14.7%12.9%11.2%10.3%5%
Dec 202515.7%13.6%15.8%15.9%12.8%12.1%10.1%4.1%
Jan 202616.4%13.8%12.9%15.9%16.5%10.6%9%5%
Feb 202616.6%13.9%13.6%13.6%13.6%12.7%10.3%5.7%
Mar 202613.9%13.8%13.6%13.9%14.4%11%9.9%9.3%
Apr 202615.1%12.6%14.6%14.6%15.4%11.6%9.8%6.4%
May 202614.2%12.4%14%14.2%17.8%11.6%10.5%5.3%
Jun 202615.5%13.8%13%15.4%14.5%11.6%10.2%6%
Jul 202616.7%14.1%13.6%16.3%14.3%10.6%7.8%6.5%
Aug 202615.7%15.1%15.1%14.9%13%11.7%8.7%6%
Sep 2026————————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.Russell McVeagh

    15.7%

    held 1st · 3.7K estimated branded searches · +2.8% vs prior month · -1 points

  2. 2.Buddle Findlay

    15.1%

    moved from 4th to 2nd · 3.5K estimated branded searches · +16.9% vs prior month · +1 points

  3. 3.Chapman Tripp

    15.1%

    moved from 5th to 3rd · 3.5K estimated branded searches · +21% vs prior month · +1.5 points

  4. 4.Simpson Grierson

    14.9%

    moved from 2nd to 4th · 3.5K estimated branded searches · -0.57% vs prior month · -1.5 points

  5. 5.Bell Gully

    13%

    moved from 3rd to 5th · 3K estimated branded searches · -0.98% vs prior month · -1.3 points

  6. 6.MinterEllisonRuddWatts

    11.7%

    held 6th · 2.7K estimated branded searches · +19.8% vs prior month · +1 points

  7. 7.Dentons

    8.7%

    held 7th · 2K estimated branded searches · +21.6% vs prior month · +0.9 points

  8. 8.DLA Piper

    6%

    held 8th · 1.4K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · -0.6 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand?

In August 2026, Russell McVeagh was the most searched among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, with an estimated 3.7K branded searches and 15.7% estimated Share of Search within this set. Buddle Findlay is in 2nd place, 0.6 percentage points behind at 15.1% Share of Search.

New Zealand large commercial law firms, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Russell McVeagh15.3% → 15.7%18.1%Nov 202513.9%Mar 20262nd → 1st
Buddle Findlay13.2% → 15.1%15.1%Aug 202612.4%May 20265th → 2nd
Chapman Tripp13.8% → 15.1%15.8%Dec 202512.9%Jan 20263rd
Simpson Grierson15.4% → 14.9%16.3%Jul 202613.6%Feb 20261st → 4th
Bell Gully13.3% → 13%17.8%May 202612.8%Dec 20254th → 5th
MinterEllisonRuddWatts12.5% → 11.7%12.7%Feb 202610.6%Jan 20266th
Dentons11.2% → 8.7%11.2%Oct 20257.8%Jul 20267th
DLA Piper5.2% → 6%9.3%Mar 20264.1%Dec 20258th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buddle Findlay’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand increased from 13.2% to 15.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Chapman Tripp’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand increased from 13.8% to 15.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Simpson Grierson’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand decreased from 15.4% to 14.9%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand decreased from 12.5% to 11.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Dentons’ estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand decreased from 11.2% to 8.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, DLA Piper’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand increased from 5.2% to 6%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Russell McVeagh’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand peaked at 18.1% in November 2025 and was lowest at 13.9% in March 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buddle Findlay’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand peaked at 15.1% in August 2026 and was lowest at 12.4% in May 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Chapman Tripp’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand peaked at 15.8% in December 2025 and was lowest at 12.9% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Simpson Grierson’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand peaked at 16.3% in July 2026 and was lowest at 13.6% in February 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Bell Gully’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand peaked at 17.8% in May 2026 and was lowest at 12.8% in December 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand peaked at 12.7% in February 2026 and was lowest at 10.6% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Dentons’ estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand peaked at 11.2% in October 2025 and was lowest at 7.8% in July 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, DLA Piper’s estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand peaked at 9.3% in March 2026 and was lowest at 4.1% in December 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Russell McVeagh rose from 2nd to 1st among large commercial law firms in New Zealand.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buddle Findlay rose from 5th to 2nd among large commercial law firms in New Zealand.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Simpson Grierson fell from 1st to 4th among large commercial law firms in New Zealand.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Bell Gully fell from 4th to 5th among large commercial law firms in New Zealand.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand large commercial law firms in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, Buddle Findlay overtook Bell Gully to rank 2nd among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, at 15.1%.

  2. In August 2026, Chapman Tripp overtook Bell Gully to rank 3rd among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, at 15.1%.

  3. In August 2026, MinterEllisonRuddWatts gained estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, from 10.6% to 11.7%.

  4. In August 2026, Dentons gained estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, from 7.8% to 8.7%.

  5. In August 2026, Simpson Grierson lost estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, from 16.3% to 14.9%.

  6. In August 2026, Bell Gully lost estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, from 14.3% to 13%.

  7. In August 2026, Russell McVeagh lost estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, from 16.7% to 15.7%.

  8. In August 2026, DLA Piper lost estimated Share of Search among large commercial law firms in New Zealand, from 6.5% to 6%.

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