McKechnie Quirke & Lewis

Holland Beckett
Jan 30 2014

McKechnie Quirke & Lewis is a 4 partner commercial practice which has its main office in Rotorua but also has branches in Whakatane and Ōpōtiki. The staff from Olphert & Associates will be moving into the current McKechnie Quirke & Lewis premises once the purchase has been completed. The Rotorua office will be able to deal with commercial, property, family and litigation matters.

Holland Beckett has long been looking at expanding its practice into Rotorua and the Eastern Bay of Plenty to service its already growing client base in those areas and to support its growth aspirations.

Holland Beckett Partner, Simon Collett said “When we moved into our new Tauranga premises in October 2008 we had 16 lawyers. After the McKechnie Quirke & Lewis purchase we will have 38 lawyers and 77 staff in total. Our strategic objective in this is quite simple – we need to continue to grow. Our view is that the days of the medium sized law firm may be numbered.

To survive a law firm may either have to be very small and specialised or large and full service. A large firm is able to do things more efficiently. It has the mass to ensure that overheads, systems, resources and training are optimised. In recent years our growth has enabled us to attract talented staff and we continue to receive enquiries from exceptional candidates. The ultimate result is that we are able to provide a broad range of specialist legal advice to our existing clients and we also have the capacity to attract and service new business.”

“I must admit that the concept of becoming the first true Bay of Plenty wide law firm is also attractive.”

McKechnie Quirke & Lewis Partner Phil Kai Fong said that the acquisition will bring the benefits of a larger firm to its clients.

“Our clients will now have direct access to specialist lawyers if required.”

“This will also provide us with access to Holland Beckett’s up-to-date technology systems, marketing initiatives, website and comprehensive on-line library. Hopefully, with its brand awareness, we will be able to attract capable lawyers to Rotorua and the Eastern Bay so that we can grow those offices. Holland Beckett is a progressive firm and so this is a progressive move for us.”

Holland Beckett’s Practice Manager, Sharline Fitzgerald, said that transferring McKechnie Quirke & Lewis’s systems and information over will be a complex task. “But we will manage the transition and deal quickly with any challenges as they arise. We have great staff at all of our offices and everyone understands that it is a process.”

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