Nikki Chamberlain is a Senior Lecturer and the Associate Dean (Equity) in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland. Before joining the University of Auckland, Nikki lectured at Vanderbilt University Law School in the United States. She received her LL.M. degree from Vanderbilt University. She made the Dean’s List for Academic Excellence in both the Fall and Spring Semesters. She was awarded the Scholastic Excellence Award for Introduction to Legal Research, Writing and Analysis in the United States. She received her B.A./LL.B. (Hons) degree from the University of Auckland. She also received a Senior Prize in her B.A. degree.

Prior to lecturing, Nikki practiced eight years as a Commercial Litigator at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts in Auckland. She was a Senior Associate and practiced in several commercial law areas including contract law, tort law (privacy), company law, family law, insolvency law, trust litigation and estate litigation. Her clients included Bank of New Zealand, Goldman Sachs, GE Money, Bank of Scotland, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Westpac New Zealand Limited, ASB Bank Limited, HSBC, New Zealand Racing Board, Dun & Bradstreet (NZ) Limited and Mona Dotcom. She appeared as counsel in the New Zealand Court of Appeal, the High Court, the District Court and the Family Court.

Nikki is the leading scholar on class actions and litigation funding in New Zealand. She has published a number of articles in the area and completed the first and second empirical study on class actions in New Zealand. She currently lectures Torts, Complex Litigation, Privacy Law and Family Property at the University of Auckland. She is an invited member of the Expert Advisory Panel currently advising the New Zealand Law Commission on the Review and Reform of Class Actions and Litigation Funding in New Zealand.