Mai Chen is a New Zealand lawyer with a professional and specialist focus in constitutional and administrative law, Waitangi Tribunal and courts, human rights, white collar fraud and regulatory defence, judicial review, regulatory issues, education law, and public policy and law reform. She was educated at Otago University and Harvard University. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Auckland School of Law.
Chen has featured in Forbes magazine, TEDx talks and the National Business Review (NBR) and was a finalist for the New Zealander of the year award.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chen immigrated to New Zealand with her family at the age of six in 1970, and did not speak English. The family immigrated so her father, an Olympic gymnastics coach, could train the national team. She attended Otago Girls' High School, where she became a head girl and dux.
Chen attended the University of Otago (New Zealand) and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Honours degree (first class) in 1986. She graduated with a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1988 and won a prize for the best Human Rights thesis. Otago University awarded Chen an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in December 2023 and she delivered the graduation address.
Chen interned at the United Nations' International Labour Office in Geneva in 1988. In 1989, she returned to New Zealand to become a lecturer at the law school at Victoria University of Wellington. That year she wrote her first book on the discrimination against women under the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
In 1993, she co-authored Public Law in New Zealand with former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, which was published by Oxford University Press. In 1994, Chen became a lawyer at Russell McVeagh.
In 1995, Chen co-found specialist public law firm Chen Palmer alongside former Palmer. Chen bought out Palmer when he left to head the Law Commission in 2006. Chen Palmer won best boutique law firm in 2010, and best public law firm in the New Zealand Law Awards from 2007 to 2011, and 2013. In 2022, Chen left her role as senior partner of Chen Palmer to go to the Bar.
In 2015, Chen became an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland.
Chen is founder and chair of the Superdiversity Institute, and was the founder and previous chair of New Zealand Asian Leaders, that connects Asian NZ lawyers, CEOs and emerging leaders with New Zealand companies doing business in Asia. She helped to establish the Pacifica Leadership Academy at BEST Pacific Institute of Education, formerly led by Beatrice Faumuina. Chen is also the founder and President of New Zealand Asian Lawyers. Chen is the inaugural chair of Global Women, which is a not for profit charitable organisation for top women leaders in the public, private and not for profit sectors which mentors emerging leaders.
Chen, as part of her pro-bono work, organises and hosts a number of seminars and events across Auckland to bring together the New Zealand's top legal specialists. Chen has done a wide range of pro bono work, including for the Auckland Zoo, New Zealand Endometriosis Foundation and He Huarahi Tamariki (the school for Teenage Parents in Tawa). Chen has also provided pro bono advice to the Bilingual Leo Pacific Coalition.
Chen was President of the Harvard Law School Alumni Association (New Zealand) for ten years, and was a trustee of the Royal New Zealand Ballet Board for four and a half years.
From 1982 to 1986 Chen did voluntary work with street kids referred by the Department of Social Welfare, including the establishment of a Modern Dance Group for girls .
Chen has previously sat on the Yvonne Smith Scholarship Committee which awards scholarships to women, including those who want to study post-graduate law. She also was a member of the selection panel for the New Zealander of the Year award in 2019.
In 2024, Chen established the Mai Chen Legal Innovation Award, to be granted annually to the Otago University law student who produces the most innovative piece of legal writing.