Real estate and construction in New Zealand

‘High-quality work, technical expertise, problem-solving and access to partners.’

‘We often work with Ed Dunphy. He is very practical, listens and focuses on the important issues.’

‘Very well-informed and in touch with all segments of the property market. Very proactive in terms of highlighting risks/opportunities etc, rather than only responding to requests. Very adept at handling parties on the other side of transactions, in a respectful, non-confrontational, but authoritative manner. ’

‘Tim Barclay stands out as he is not only an experienced and outstanding lawyer, but also has the talent to understand his clients’ commercial interests which is so rare among lawyers. Tim goes all the way to support client needs, is very quick on the uptake, has an excellent memory, and is highly detailed in his analysis of legal issues without wasting time on superfluous elements.’

‘Anthony Harper provide us legal advice across a number of verticals including real estate and construction. Having the versatility to provide a breadth of expertise is advantageous to us.’

‘Nothing is ever a problem. Always keeps in contact with progress. Provides excellent advice and practical solutions to any problems and clearly identifies risks for our company.’

‘Excellent depth and breadth of commercial experience.’

‘Andrew Petersen is outstanding on OIO matters, with an almost unparalleled working knowledge of the legislation and its practical application.’

‘The team is an exceptionally strong group, who are commercial, pragmatic, efficient, very responsive and great to deal with.’

‘Andrew Petersen is a pleasure to deal with. He knows what it takes to get deals done quickly and efficiently and is a outstanding problem solver.’

‘They get the job done without fuss.’

‘Andrew Petersen is a star in relation to overseas investment issues and he is well supported by his team (Brooke Reed until recently and now Sarah Ryan) – excellent advice and detailed documentation. Karl Andersen has provided good advice on some tricky development and leasing issues.’

‘Bell Gully is a “go-to” firm for strategic advice on high-risk and complex matters.’

‘Toni Forrest provides exceptional support by understanding an organisation’s risk appetite and key drivers and navigating complex and high-risk issues. Hugh Kettle is a class act.’

‘Great service and timely advice.’

‘Strategic approach to relationships that go beyond pure legal advice.’

‘Justin March and Heath Brunton are both very experienced real estate lawyers. They both are well regarded and are also developing a strong team of associates under them.’

‘Stable team that is growing is confidence and capacity. Heath Brunton is maturing into a top-tier operator and with high-quality recent hires is developing a team to support his practice. The firm has strength in many areas, so can bring in specialist advice when required; the person we deal with always has vast experience and a good knowledge of issues that are important to business.’

‘Justin March has a good understanding of business and knows what issues are important to the client (and what issues are not), so we can focus the the key issues and not get side-tracked by things that are not so important.’

‘Good practical, mid-market real estate experience. Good time management and transaction planning by associates.‘

‘Hesketh Henry has a diverse team covering a range of legal areas. Sarah Holderness and Stephanie Corban have been brilliant at balancing the practicalities and time pressure of construction issues, maintaining legal work of the highest standard. Excellent industry knowledge specific to contractors. Timely value-for-money advice.‘

‘Nick Gillies and Glen Holme-Hansen provide pragmatic and commercially sound legal advice.‘

‘Go the extra mile to ensure the service is in line with client requirements. Vast experience (domestically and internationally) and knowledgeable.‘

‘We have really enjoyed working with the construction team. We have had support with front-end contract requirements in addition to guidance around potential litigation and managing contract requirements during a project cycle. Different people have provided support and all have been strong.‘

‘Sarah Holderness is incredibly strong on construction contracts, with in-depth knowledge of SA2017 and NZS3910. Excellent wordsmith.‘

‘A medium-sized practice with extensive specialisation in construction litigation and dispute resolution. Very pragmatic and approachable people in providing legal and strategic advice including Nick Gillies, Glen Holm-Hansen and Helen Macfarlane.‘

‘The team’s strength is its leadership to motivate all their staff to deliver excellent lead advice and services to clients.’

‘Andrew Monteith is approachable, friendly, a problem-solver, who understands our business and provides practical advice.’

‘The team is responsive to our queries. They try to tailor their advice to the circumstances and offer to have meetings in person or virtually so we can understand said advice and issues. Friendly and approachable. Jack McCaw is knowledgeable, providing solid and well-reasoned advice. Holly Hill is approachable, firm and clear with advice. Aware of legal risks and the bigger picture.’

‘The team at MERW combine their collective talents and varying approached to ensure the best outcome for their clients. Matters are openly debated with us to ensure the final approach is appropriate, with ego put to the side. The individuals we work with at Minters have excellent and significant experience across legal disciplines, and with previous employers, so we get the best insight into the matters at hand and potential responses.’

‘The team’s strength is its leadership to motivate all their staff to deliver excellent lead advice and services to clients. Andrew Monteith is approachable, friendly and a problem-solver, who understands our business and provides practical advice.’

‘Very personable team who are experts in their fields but still have the ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner.’

‘Mark Crosbie is always approachable and pleasant to deal with. He has standing and great amount of respect in the industry. Janine Stewart again has great respect in the industry. Mark and Janine are in charge of a very competent team of specialists. Travis Tomlinson and Rebecca Cook have been approachable, accessible and a valuable part of our professional support team when needed.’

‘Strong real estate team with great industry experience. Well respected. Provides quality work. The people are great and understand our business well and work to ensure they are able to deliver what we need in the timeframes we require.’

‘Availability, friendliness, ease of advice. Trustworthy and very skilful.’

‘The team is the top real estate team in New Zealand and comparable to any we have dealt with across the globe. They provide high quality work and manage client goals well.’

‘Ed Crook and Dave Butler are excellent leaders and commercially focused lawyers. They are a pleasure to deal with.’

‘When dealing with Russell McVeagh, you have confidence that they will be able to use their significant resources to meet any difficult deadlines and use all of the experience within their firm to give a comprehensive answer. There is also a level of confidence in the legal advice given in that you feel that you can rely upon it to be robust and well considered. This all started when we initially worked with Anna, then transitioned more to David, Natalie and Jeremy.’

‘The team at Russell McVeagh are the best in the market. They are commercial, not pedantic, and don’t draft for the sake of being clever. Focused totally on client’s commercial goals. Ed Crook has laser-sharp intelligence. He cuts to the heart of the issue immediately, is  good humoured and tireless. What makes him different? He can say the right thing with less words. Focuses on being commercial not point-scoring.’

‘Anna Crosbie makes everything look easy; nothing is a problem and she has excellent commercial focus with immense knowledge of the law, being genuine and supremely talented. Natalie Steur has a talented commercial brain alongside excellent client skills. Natalie Sundstrom also has excellent technical and client skills.’

‘A strong team with a number of excellent partners meaning they are the top choice for large or complex jobs. Ed Crook is the best operator in the market and is recognised as such by his peers which can aid negotiations.’

‘The Russell McVeagh real estate and construction team provides high quality, accurate and pragmatic legal advice and legal documents. There is good depth across the team, which is highly collaborative. I value their industry and sector knowledge, and their ability to partner successfully with us to deliver on our objectives. Anna Crosbie is a trusted advisor with excellent technical skills and a sound knowledge of the real estate and construction sectors.’

‘Partners collaborate well to utilise their individual unique skills for the benefit of clients.’

‘Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of new legislative changes in their specific area. Being abreast of potential changes. Providing commercial introductions when appropriate and beneficial for both parties.’

‘People don’t over-engineer the process. Good quality advice.’

‘Campbell Stewart from the property team is very approachable. Happy to discuss issues over phone and take ownership to resolve them rather than spend time writing emails.’