Why South Island Law Leaders Move North

The recent expansion of Lane Neave with its combination with old-line Clendons and the merger of two old-line Auckland firms, Glaister Ennor and Keegan Alexander demonstrate a combination of factors: the continuous growth of the Auckland commercial engine driving New Zealand, Inc. and the need for firms to compete effectively in a tough, but demanding market.

To be serious about handling major commercial work, law firms need to have an Auckland presence.

Recent figures showed that Auckland accounts for 35 percent of all business locations and employees in New Zealand and the city center’s GDP grew by 9.2 percent in the year to March 2023, reaching $30.4 billion, compared to New Zealand’s overall growth of 2.8 percent.

No firm focused on building national and/or international clients can ignore a market that is the primary commercial and corporate centre in the country.

Duncan Cotterill opened its Auckland office in 1986, the first of the firm’s offices outside of its Christchurch base and setting up its national network. The Auckland firm now has 15 partners.

Early movers from the Mainland were Anderson Lloyd who opened their Auckland office in 2014, recruiting several former Russell McVeagh partners and senior lawyers, and the firm now have seven partners kept busy there with property and commercial work.

Lane Neave has 10 Auckland partners and 50 in their Auckland office and joining the century-old Clendons will add further clout to the Auckland presence.

Anthony Harper is now stronger in Auckland than Christchurch with 19 partners in the north and 14 in the Christchurch office.

Wynn Williams has a strong Auckland presence with 12 partners in the Auckland office and more recently Tavendale & Partners have set up an office in Auckland with two partners.

There have also been trans-Tasman links, a recent move being Hamilton Locke, an Australian corporate commercial law firm, which recently announced its expansion into New Zealand with an initial base in Auckland.

For the South Island-based law firms, however, the continued development of the Auckland market is set to continue, just as the combinations among the mid-level firms is also a likely continuing trend as the need to flex legal muscle in the market requires investment in both technology and legal talent.