Community and pro bono
David Friar is an Auckland barrister specialising in commercial litigation. In addition to his commercial practice, David undertakes pro bono work and has a number of community and professional roles.
Community and professional roles
- Convenor, Auckland Rainbow Law ( to date)
- Member, New Zealand Law Society Auckland Standards Committee 1 ( to date)
- Chair, New Zealand AIDS Foundation, now the Burnett Foundation ( to ); Trustee and Board member for six years
- Spokesperson, Campaign for Civil Unions ()
- Member, Campaign for Marriage Equality ( to )
Examples of pro bono practice
Charity deregistration
Acting pro bono for an LGBTQI+ community organisation seeking the deregistration of a charity from the charities register
Assault
Acted pro bono for a young man assaulted at a bar on Karangahape Road
Burnett Foundation
Acted pro bono for the Burnett Foundation, formerly the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, on dozens of issues
to
Mental Health Foundation
Acted pro bono for the Mental Health Foundation in relation to a property issue
Rainbow Tick
Acted pro bono for Rainbow Tick in relation to freedom of speech issues
Asylum claim
While in New York, acted pro bono for a 23-year-old refugee from Colombia, obtaining orders from the Immigration Court granting him asylum in the United States
Reported in the “Public Interest” section of the New York Law Journal ·
Presentations and panels
- Law Commission Ia Tangata report (presentation moderator, )
- Panel with Justice Muir and Justice McHerron (moderator, )
- University of Auckland, “Upstanding Citizenship” (panellist, )
- Otago University Pride in Law, “Being LGBTQIA+ in the Workforce” (panellist, )
- Intersex and the Law (presentation moderator, )
- Future of Pride (panel moderator, )
- Freedom of Speech and LGBT+ Rights (panel moderator, )
- Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling (panel moderator, )