Bell Gully vs Russell McVeagh:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Russell McVeagh had more branded searches than Bell Gully among large commercial law firms in New Zealand. Russell McVeagh had about 3,000 branded searches, while Bell Gully had 2,420. Russell McVeagh made up 16.4% of all large commercial law firm searches we track, and Bell Gully accounted for 13.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about large commercial law firms, both Bell Gully and Russell McVeagh appeared in all five answers. Bell Gully was mentioned before Russell McVeagh in every answer.
Who do people search for more?
Russell McVeagh, about 24% more searches than Bell Gully
Who does AI mention more?
Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.
Who does AI recommend more?
Bell Gully, named ahead of Russell McVeagh in every answer
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Top large commercial law firms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Bell Gully and Russell McVeagh showed up in all five answers. Bell Gully was listed before Russell McVeagh in every answer.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Russell McVeagh5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Chapman Tripp5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- Bell Gully5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Simpson Grierson4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
MinterEllisonRuddWatts4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
DLA Piper3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Buddle Findlay2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Dentons2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about large commercial law firms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which large commercial law firm should I hire in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best large commercial law firms in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best large commercial law firm in New Zealand for a complex business matter?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“top law firms nz”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“commercial law firm nz”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.
Is Bell Gully or Russell McVeagh more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Bell Gully and Russell McVeagh by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight large commercial law firms we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Russell McVeagh, Bell Gully. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Russell McVeagh | Simpson Grierson | Chapman Tripp | MinterEllisonRuddWatts | Bell Gully | Buddle Findlay | Dentons | DLA Piper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 16.8% | 16.4% | 13.4% | 13.9% | 13.5% | 13.4% | 9.3% | 3.3% |
| Nov 2025 | 19.6% | 15.5% | 15.3% | 12.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% | 8.6% | 3.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 17% | 16.4% | 16.2% | 13.4% | 12.9% | 12.8% | 8.7% | 2.6% |
| Jan 2026 | 17.3% | 16.9% | 13.1% | 11.6% | 16.8% | 13.1% | 7.8% | 3.3% |
| Feb 2026 | 17.7% | 14% | 13.8% | 14.2% | 13.9% | 13.8% | 8.6% | 4.2% |
| Mar 2026 | 14.5% | 14.4% | 14.1% | 12% | 14.2% | 14.1% | 9.1% | 7.6% |
| Apr 2026 | 15.9% | 15.3% | 15.1% | 13% | 15.3% | 12.5% | 8.3% | 4.6% |
| May 2026 | 14.9% | 14.7% | 14.4% | 13% | 18% | 12% | 9.4% | 3.6% |
| Jun 2026 | 16.8% | 16.5% | 13.5% | 13.3% | 13.6% | 13.5% | 8.8% | 4% |
| Jul 2026 | 17.6% | 17.3% | 14.1% | 12.1% | 14.1% | 14.1% | 6.5% | 4.2% |
| Aug 2026 | 16.1% | 15.7% | 15.5% | 13.2% | 12.9% | 15.5% | 7.4% | 3.8% |
| Sep 2026 | 16.4% | 16.2% | 15.9% | 14.4% | 13.3% | 13.3% | 7.3% | 3.2% |
How has the Bell Gully and Russell McVeagh comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Bell Gully took it in May 2026, Russell McVeagh took it in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bell Gully’s share of searches among large commercial law firms in New Zealand moved from 13.5% to 13.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 2.4K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Russell McVeagh’s share of searches among large commercial law firms in New Zealand moved from 16.8% to 16.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 3K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand large commercial law firms in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Bell Gully rose from 6th to 5th among large commercial law firms in New Zealand.
How are branded searches counted?
5 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Bell Gully’s and Russell McVeagh’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Bell Gully
2 branded search terms
- Bell Gully
- bell gully lawyers
Russell McVeagh
3 branded search terms
- Russell McVeagh
- russell mcveagh lawyers
- russell mcveagh queenstown
Other head-to-heads among large commercial law firms
- Russell McVeagh vs Simpson Grierson: compare popularity
- Russell McVeagh vs Chapman Tripp: compare popularity
- Russell McVeagh vs MinterEllisonRuddWatts: compare popularity
- Simpson Grierson vs Chapman Tripp: compare popularity
- Simpson Grierson vs MinterEllisonRuddWatts: compare popularity
- Simpson Grierson vs Bell Gully: compare popularity
Put your own brand in this comparison
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