News release on merger of two Christchurch law firms
Thursday 19 April 2012, 10:32AM
By Adroite Communications Ltd
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Christchurch city law firm, Corcoran French, has announced that the staff of Walker Rodger has joined the firm, effective from 1 April 2012. Michael Walker joins as a partner, together with an associate Carol Eddington and their four legal executives. They will be based in Corcoran French’s new city office at 166 Moorhouse Avenue. Corcoran French is experiencing significant growth with five new staff, in addition to the six from Walker Rodger, joining them this year.
Corcoran French’s managing partner Martin Bell says, “We’re very pleased to be welcoming Michael Walker and his team to Corcoran French. The skill set they all bring to firm very much complements our existing expertise. Their Akaroa practice will give us the opportunity to extend our geographical area to Banks Peninsula and we’re looking forward to developing that further.”
Walker Rodger was established in 1987 by Michael Walker and grew into a firm specialising in rural and commercial law, asset planning and trusts, estate administration and conveyancing. As well as having its Christchurch office, the firm also regularly visited Akaroa the second Friday of every month.
New CF partner Michael Walker says, “The amalgamation of our practice into Corcoran French will be of significant benefit to our firm’s clients as we can offer them a much more specialised legal service. Added to that, we’ll also have access to Corcoran French’s membership of NZ LAW Limited, a group of independent legal practices with 62 members throughout the country. This group shares resources, information and ideas whilst still preserving their clients’ confidentiality.
“One of the most important factors in merging with Corcoran French was to ensure we’d be working with people who deal with each other and their clients with the care and respect that we’ve endeavoured to do at Walker Rodger. I think we’ve made a very good choice. The six of us have very much enjoyed our first weeks in Corcoran French’s new city office. Everyone has made us most welcome and we’re in very good company; it augers well for our clients’ interests.”
Martin Bell says, “Corcoran French is unashamedly a general practice firm. We’re confident that our strategy of growth will put us in a very competitive position as Christchurch starts to rebuild from the earthquakes. The firm’s services include business law; earthquake/insurance law; commercial and residential property; rural law; dispute resolution and litigation, leaky home claims; family law; asset planning, trusts, Wills and estate planning; resource management and local government.”
The firm’s expertise in insurance and red-zone issues was recently acknowledged with two partners (Rachael Robertson and Mark Henderson) being ask to present papers at the annual Safe Building Conference to be held in Wellington on 30 April. Their papers are entitled ‘The impact of earthquakes on landlord and tenant obligations’ and ‘Insurance and legal rights for building owners’ respectively.
Established in 1892, Corcoran French is now a seven partner law firm with offices in Christchurch city and Kaiapoi; satellite offices in New Brighton and Belfast, and now the firm regularly visits Akaroa the second Friday of every month.