Duncan Cotterill has grown to become one of the leading law firms in New Zealand. We have achieved this because as a firm we are very clear about where we are heading and what we want to achieve. We have a strong set of values and we are totally committed to working alongside our clients to help them achieve their goals.
Like you, we take opportunities when they arise. It's this enterprising attitude that's led us to set up and grow offices in five distinct markets. It's helped us to build an energetic, diverse and collegial partnership. And it's what's attracted enterprising people and organisations to work with us ... time after time.
Our clients span the full corporate spectrum from multinationals and large privately owned companies, through to Government entities, accounting firms, B Corps™, start-ups, and angel investors. We work with a range of New Zealand and offshore companies at various stages of their business journeys to help achieve their goals. Talk to us if you are:
We advise businesses throughout their corporate lifecycle, across the full scale of corporate and commercial work, including:
We work closely with specialists in related disciplines including tax, competition, consumer and public law so we can ensure you’re covered for regulatory approvals or want to structure your business in a tax-efficient way. We also act as outsourced in-house counsel for clients without an in-house role, which sees us often called upon to support management teams with strategic business advice.
We also work with large multinational corporates and international law firms on their client’s affairs in New Zealand. With strong referral relationships worldwide, we are the members of global legal network, TerraLex, and the International Trademark Association (INTA).
We also have a proven track record connecting companies with investment capital. We thrive linking the new and innovative to angel investment, listing or partial merger / acquisitions. Likewise, if you want to go public - we can help prepare you go to market, assist with your business as usual issues, governance requirements, and planning your exit strategy. Our franchising experience has seen us assist franchisors wanting to expand their business footprint and ensuring that the set these up with all the correct legal requirements; as well as franchisees looking to protect their interests.
A number of our clients are existing (or soon to be) business owners who are looking to buy or sell their life’s work. If you’re in this position, we can help you to extract value from your biggest investment.
Our specialist team - one of the biggest in New Zealand – work across New Zealand assisting clients navigate their employment and health and safety issues. We believe the best advice is given by analysing the people involved, the situations at hand and the wider context of your business objectives.
Clients comment on our ‘‘depth of capability. They engage all levels of their team in case management which provides strong continuity in support and advice...Although I have a main partner, I have relationships with a number of key people which enables efficient and effective support." Our team are described as "pragmatic and take time to gain a deeper understanding of the client’s organization. They are professional and show integrity and are able to quickly grasp the problem and offer advice succinctly and effectively" (Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022)
We help employers of all sizes - from owner / operators and SMEs to multinationals and senior executives - with a full range of employment law issues. This includes:
We help resolve disputes through mediation, other forms of dispute resolution, as well as Court and Employment Relations Authority representation. We use our extensive technical knowledge of employment law and experience to represent your best chance of success. Our team and team members are recognised by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022.
Our national family law team are highly experienced with a wide range of practise to provide family law advice across the country. We engage in a broad range of work to cover everything from asset planning and protection for individuals, to separation and childcare issues. Our expertise covers issues which arise at the beginning of a relationship, during a relationship or at the end of a relationship.
Each family, individual and business is unique, meaning different approaches and outcomes are appropriate for different people. We offer family law advice and representation which is tailored to your specific needs and circumstances, focusing on achieving the best outcome for you and your family. Our team can guide you through any family dispute and endeavour to make the process as stress-free as possible.
Our immigration team are leaders in seamlessly assisting migrants and businesses towards the ultimate outcome of living and operating in New Zealand. With a very high standard of living, outstanding natural landscape, and attractive commercial environment, New Zealand continues to prove an irresistible choice for multiple reasons.
With strengths in all areas of immigration law, we pride ourselves on the ability to provide an end to end service for our clients. From initial eligibility scoping and visa or work permit applications through to confirmed residency, we give tailored advice at every step of the process. Our business clients benefit from our wide ranging commercial expertise, leading to successful setup, structuring, and operating platforms of their New Zealand based companies.
Duncan Cotterill have a key point of difference in the immigration law sector, in our ability to offer robust and wide ranging ongoing legal support services such as employment and investment assistance to individuals and businesses once they have gained either residency or trading status in New Zealand. Our nationwide spread, with offices in Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Queenstown creates an invaluable geographical coverage for our clients, ensuring that we can impart our expertise at a regional and national level. We are highly informed within our local markets, and our long term relationships reflect our ability to work directly with our clients on an ongoing basis.
The insurance industry in New Zealand is a dynamic market, with events of the past few years forcing many to re-examine the adequacy of cover, both domestically and commercially. We are seeing a move by many businesses to a more in-depth analysis of risk.
We act for a number of New Zealand’s major insurers and their clients. We’ve been partnering with insurers to deal with claims effectively and to help reduce the incidence of claims in the future by identifying key areas of risk and delivering targeted training. Insurers and brokers choose to work with us because of our wealth of insurance experience, our national coverage and our cost-effective advice. We are insurance specialists but also have a full service firm offering which means we can also call on other specialists in areas such as employment, resource management and technology when necessary.
We take a global approach to our insurance law practice. Our insurance specialists have strong relationships with brokers, insurers and underwriters in New Zealand, Australia, the wider Asia-Pacific region and London.
We also work closely with insurance law specialists internationally through our membership of Global Insurance Law Connect (GILC). GILC is a formal alliance of leading insurance law experts comprised of high-performing independent firms across the world that specialise in insurance law. GILC delivers a global reach and depth of service that no one firm can deliver on its own.
GILC differentiates itself to clients through its range of specialist legal and risk interest groups. There are currently 13 special interest groups that members including Duncan Cotterill contribute to, including:
We work with a wide range of creative clients whose ideas, brands and products are successful in local, national and international markets. We deliver strategic advice which helps them profit through identifying intellectual property (IP) opportunities and protecting their IP rights.
Brand clearance, protection and enforcement matters are at the heart of our practice. We filed our first trade mark application over half a century ago. Today our award winning IP team acts for local and international clients in brand related matters across Australasia.
Our brand practice is part of our wider ‘soft IP’ and marketing law services. We help our clients with non-contentious and contentious issues around IP ownership, commercialisation and marketing.
Clients of the team include successful local companies such as Trade Me, Smiths City and Sealord Group, as well as international corporations and associates from around the globe.
Our team members are active in the Australasian and international IP industry, as members of IPSANZ and INTA; and are recognised by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022, Chambers and Partners 2021 and the World Trademark Review 2022.
What others say:
"The team at Duncan Cotterill have a unique ability to weigh legal matters against commercial outcomes and ensure that a sound equilibrium between the two is found when resolving matters. Whilst their legal knowledge is second to none they understand the need to balance outcomes with the needs of the business as well." Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022
"Duncan Cotterill provides a great service in terms of intellectual property by taking the time to know us well and ensure we are well covered without incurring huge costs." Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022
"Across the board, the ensemble gives “thorough and prompt advice, communicates it in plain English and anticipates clients’ needs”." World Trademark Review 1000 2022
“The firm has all the intellectual firepower and litigation experience you need. It very quickly establishes a definite commercial goal for a litigation and takes a pragmatic approach to realising it, which ensures optimal and cost-effective outcomes; it resources matters appropriately, too.” World Trademark Review 1000 2022
We help to both prevent disputes and to resolve them. In today’s business environment, disputes are more complex than ever. We navigate the complexities for you, getting to the heart of the issue and putting in place strategies to ensure the most appropriate solution for your commercial needs. Where litigation is the best option, we help you achieve your objectives.
Our national team is one of the largest in the country which ensures we have the capacity, flexibility and experience to deal with large and small matters in all areas of commercial, public and private law. We have extensive experience appearing before all levels of the court system and have worked across the full range of dispute resolution mechanisms, including arbitration, mediation and adjudication.
Our property team has the expertise and capacity to handle transactions of any size and complexity across all sectors of the property industry. We help developers, investors, occupiers and central and local government authorities with all their commercial property needs. With the largest national property team in the country, we are kept informed on what’s happening in our local markets and deliver pragmatic advice regardless of the size or complexity of the legal issue. It’s what our commercial property clients say they value.
Our clients span a range of industry sectors including retail, hotel and leisure, education, professional services, affordable housing and infrastructure. If you are a property developer, we can assist you with all stages (design, build, finance, operate) of property developments ranging from residential subdivisions to complex commercial office developments.
A nationwide issue affecting all of New Zealand are recent changes to the earthquake-strengthening of buildings. We are market leaders in issues surrounding the seismic performance of buildings, and the impact of this on commercial leasing and other property transactions.
Overseas investment remains strong throughout New Zealand. Our connection with the rural sector means that we have specialist expertise in assisting overseas clients through the consenting process to acquire land and invest in property (particularly farm land) in New Zealand.
The firm is a member of the Property Council New Zealand and regularly contribute to property and real estate chapters in several international legal guides, including Thompson Reuters Commercial Real Estate in New Zealand.
