Hayden Wilson

Hayden Wilson serves as Global Vice Chair of Dentons and Chair of Dentons New Zealand, where he leads the Wellington litigation team specializing in public, regulatory and commercial litigation. He is internationally recognized as a leading advocate and highly skilled mediator, and is recognized as a leading litigator with extensive experience dealing with complex commercial and public law disputes.

Wilson has been instrumental in driving the development and execution of Dentons New Zealand's strategy, resulting in significant growth in revenue and talent. As Global Vice Chair, he also chairs the Global Board's Clients and Markets Committee, and chairs the Global Board's Firmwide Transformation Committee, responsible for strategic transformation of key business functions.

Wilson holds a Master of Laws and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Victoria University of Wellington, both obtained in 2000 and 2008 respectively. He trained as a mediator through the Resolution Institute in New Zealand, at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University in California and at Harvard University. He was a member of the Council of the Wellington District Law Society until 2008 and was a Convenor of a Lawyers Standard Committee for nine years.

With experience at Dentons since 2000, Wilson has maintained a consistent focus on advancing complex dispute resolution. In January 2025, he was recognized as one of Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer's Law Firm Leaders of the Year. He was also named one of New Zealand's most influential lawyers in 2023, and is a Distinguished Fellow and active participant in the International Academy of Mediators.

Career History

• Dentons (2000–Present): Litigation Partner leading Wellington team, later promoted to Chair of Dentons New Zealand and Global Vice Chair of Dentons Global Board
• Resolution Institute: Former Vice-Chair (Mar 2018–Present)
• Wellington District Law Society: Council Member (until 2008)

What Hayden Wilson could bring to Global Vice Chair at Dentons: With over 25 years of litigation and dispute resolution expertise, combined with his demonstrated success driving firm-wide strategy and revenue growth in New Zealand, Wilson brings deep cross-cultural leadership capabilities to the global role. His experience restructuring Dentons NZ's business functions, his international mediation credentials, and his track record of developing talent position him to advance global client service capabilities and strategic transformation across Dentons' international operations.