Mr Barton, a partner at Anderson Lloyd, was named the society’s 33rd president — and the first from Otago in its then 153-year history — in October last year.
Admitted to the bar in January 1985 after completing a first-class honours degree in law from the University of Otago, specialising in public law, he has appeared at all levels of the law, from District Court to the Privy Council in London.
He served as vice-president (South Island) on the Law Society board until November 2022 and chaired the people and capability committee.
His extensive external governance experience included serving on the boards and councils of the University of Otago, Columba College and Presbyterian Support Otago.
In a statement, Mr Barton said it was a privilege to have the trust and confidence of the legal profession to continue to serve them and the wider public as president.
"I am proud of the work the Law Society and the wider profession are doing to modernise, transform and adapt.
"I am honoured to have the chance to continue to serve the legal community on that journey.
"The Independent Review is critical for shaping the future of the Law Society and the regulation of lawyers. This work to ensure we transform and modernise is essential to meeting the needs of modern Aotearoa New Zealand and maintaining the trust and confidence in the legal profession," he said.
Last year, Mr Barton, who heads Anderson Lloyd’s litigation team, was one of only two South Island names featured in a New Zealand Lawyer magazine list of the country’s most influential lawyers.
Law society presidents are elected on an annual basis and usually serve for three years.
There has only ever been one other South Island president — Austin Forbes KC from 1993-96 — and coincidentally, Mr Barton, as a young law graduate, worked with Mr Forbes in Christchurch.
