The Best
Litigation and Dispute
Lawyers In Christchurch

Corcoran French Lawyers

Corcoran French is your legal firm for life.

Large enough to service your legal needs at every turn, but small enough to know you. Corcoran French has the size and legal expertise to tackle substantial issues while providing an accessible, personalised service with a single point of contact.

Your success is our goal.
We’re always striving to achieve the best for the most important people in our business, our clients. To give you our best, we live and breathe by a set of core values that inspire us to go above and beyond. They are our mantra, our motto, our heart.

They keep us grounded while we’re committing to personal growth, ongoing staff training, and making sure we’re up-to-date with new laws. All of this to better serve you.

Our Values
Our values are unique to us, they set us apart and underpin everything that we do.

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Cavell Leitch

With over a century of history and a steadfast commitment to excellence, it is our mission to deliver New Zealand’s best legal experience.

Expert legal advice. Genuine support. Moving forward together.

At Cavell Leitch, we are proud to be a full-service law firm, offering comprehensive legal expertise designed to meet the diverse needs of our clients.

Our strength lies in our ability to tackle legal matters with precision and care. Whether you’re facing a personal legal challenge or require strategic business advice, our team offers end-to-end support with unmatched attention to detail.

Real, friendly people you can trust

We build partnerships based on trust, ensuring you always feel supported, informed, and ready for what’s next. From your first consultation to the resolution of your matter, you can count on us to deliver results with professionalism, warmth, and an unwavering dedication to your success.

At Cavell Leitch, we don’t just resolve legal issues—we pave the way for your progress.

We’re proud of our approachable, down-to-earth style. We take the time to understand your needs, offering practical advice without unnecessary jargon.

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Joynt Andrews Solicitors

When Joynt Andrews moved into its offices in a Victorian villa at 368 Papanui Road, it was not only the start of a new chapter of the firm, but the continuation of earlier chapters going back to the early days of Joynt Andrews, and of Papanui. To accommodate our expanding firm we have moved to our larger premises at Level 1 485 Papanui Road – retaining our links to Papanui.

368 Papanui Road is located between Paparoa Street and Tomes Road. From Province of Canterbury, New Zealand – List of Sections purchased to April 30, 1863 we know the names of the original owners of that land. The area between what is now Paparoa Street and Tomes Road comprised Rural Sections 276 and 302, each being 50 acres. Records indicate that RS 302 was originally owned by Charles Greenstreet, while RS 276 was owned by Thomas Bennett Tomes, whose family is remembered in Tomes Road. RS302 was subsequently acquired by William Thomson, an accountant runholder and auditor to the Canterbury Provincial Government. Mr Thomson also leased the neighbouring section RS 276 from Mr Tomes. A Scotsman, Mr Thomson named the now 100-acre property “”Scotstown.”” Again, this is remembered in the name of Scotson Avenue. On his death in 1866, Mr Thomson’s 50-acre section (RS 302) was sold. The purchaser was Thomas Ingram Joynt, founder of Joynt Andrews. Mr Joynt renamed the property “”Finglas,”” after a suburb in Dublin.

Mr Joynt was, at the time of his death, the senior King’s Counsel in New Zealand. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to Canterbury in 1856. He began his legal training in Dublin and was admitted to the bar in 1863 in Christchurch and at the same time set up his own legal firm, today known as Joynt Andrews. He became known as a defence lawyer and had many high profile cases, but he was equally successful in civil cases. Today, the firm he founded is the third-oldest law firm in Canterbury and the thirteenth-oldest in New Zealand.

Our new location continues our links to the past – but with a more modern outlook – Level 1 485 Papanui Road, Christchurch 8053.

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Purnell Creighton

Our firm is dedicated to delivering constructive and cost-effective resolutions to your legal matters. Whether you require assistance with property law, litigation, family law, or any other legal area, our experienced team is committed to providing you with the highest level of service. Trust us to guide you through the complexities of the legal landscape, ensuring your rights are protected and your goals achieved.

Experience the excellence of Purnell Creighton Lawyers. Contact us today to discuss your legal needs and discover how we can assist you in finding the best possible solutions.

Purnell Creighton is a distinguished law firm serving the Christchurch community since 1919. Founded by George Purnell, our firm has a rich history of providing high-quality legal services to the people of Canterbury.

At Purnell Creighton, we take pride in our multicultural team of lawyers who specialise in various areas of law. With their extensive knowledge, we offer comprehensive legal solutions tailored to your unique needs. While our roots lie in Canterbury, our reach has expanded significantly. With advancements in technology and telecommunications, we proudly serve clients across New Zealand and internationally.

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Rhodes & Co

Founded in 1884 by Arthur Rhodes, a New Zealand luminary in politics, law, business and philanthropy, Rhodes & Co has evolved into a premier law firm in the South Island.

We take pride in our reputation for matters demanding a sophisticated approach and strategic attention. This reputation relies on the wealth of experience and skills possessed by our Partners, many of whom actively contribute to the boards of various companies and organisations.

Rather than aiming to be the largest firm by solicitor count, we prioritise being the firm of choice in your most important legal matters.

Over the years, our Partners have continued the tradition of excellence and maintained a steadfast commitment to our clients.

As we build this legacy, our focus remains on providing the highest quality legal services with a personalised touch that suits the unique needs of each client in the evolving legal landscape.

Our established team of Partners have the in-depth skills and experience to advise across a range of sectors.

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Simpson Grierson

Simpson Grierson is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s premier commercial law firms.
We work with leading businesses and public sector organisations on many of New Zealand’s most significant deals, projects and disputes.

Invested in your future – it’s a promise we make to our clients, our people and our country.
We invest in our clients, earning trust through exceptional service, open communication, and helping them to grow and succeed. We shape our service around specific client needs, delivering commercially-savvy legal advice while solving problems and anticipating others. Having us in your corner means having the confidence to get on with what you do best.

We invest in our people, and are determined to make Simpson Grierson one of the best places to work, learn and grow. Our supportive culture empowers people to thrive and succeed. Working with us means you get to shape the way you work, maintain wellness and balance, and benefit from our sector-leading learning and development programme.

We invest in Aotearoa New Zealand, helping to make this country one of the best places in the world to live and work. We advocate on key issues and support New Zealand’s decision makers in promoting the wellbeing of our communities. Our community programme seeks out partnerships and pro-bono projects that create opportunities to give back and make a positive difference.

We look forward to connecting with you.

Phillipa Muir, Chair, & Andrew Harkness, Managing Partner

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Meares Williams Lawyers

Welcome to Meares Williams Lawyers

Meares Williams has been serving Christchurch and Canterbury people and businesses for over 100 years.

We have a long tradition of providing high quality, cost effective legal services throughout New Zealand.

Our clients include national corporations, construction companies, large estates and trusts, large scale rural operators, incorporated societies and individuals, many of whom have been with us for decades.

All of our clients have direct contact with the partner who is responsible for their work and each partner directly oversees work carried out by other members of the team.

We place genuine emphasis on a sense of concern for people and their personal and business interests. This focus has been instilled by partners throughout the years.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
We assist a number of community and not for profit organisations that require our support, including:
Christian World Service
Pacific Leprosy Foundation
JR McKenzie Youth Education Fund

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Malcolm Wallace

Malcolm has a wide range of experience in commercial and property litigation, insolvency, trust, and estate disputes, and relationship property. Malcolm brings that wealth of experience to his practise as a Barrister, Mediator, and Arbitrator.

As a Southern man, Malcolm’s goal is to bring modern, affordable arbitration to the South Island. Firmly of the view that general litigation is too expensive – in part because it’s too slow – Malcolm believes that with fresh thinking and a flexible approach, arbitration can streamline dispute resolution to benefit parties and lawyers.

Malcolm is available to act as mediator in all parts of New Zealand, travelling to the venue of the mediation at his cost.

Together with his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Canterbury (1987), Malcolm is both a Fellow and President of the Arbitrator’s and Mediator’s Institute of New Zealand.

Malcolm has gained wide experience in all aspects of private practice: a former partner of Helmore Macdonald and Stanley, and member of the litigation team at Wynn Williams and Co, Malcolm enjoyed two years with Savory and Co in the Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies, working in international property transactions. Malcolm was also a council member of the New Zealand Bar Association from 2010 to 2015 holding the offices of Secretary, Treasurer, and South Island Vice-President.

Now with his own arbitration and mediation practice, Malcolm has been a Facilitator for Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service (GCCRS), helping parties resolve Earthquake claims. He is now a member of the Fairway Natural Hazards Cover Dispute Resolution Panel.

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Parker Cowan Lawyers Christchurch

We specialise in litigation and alternative dispute resolution acting for insurers and their insureds throughout New Zealand, with particular emphasis on professional indemnity, but also frequently on statutory and general liability matters.

The professionals for whom we are instructed to act include lawyers, accountants, valuers, engineers, health professionals (medical practitioners, psychologists, dental specialists, and other related health disciplines), Real Estate agents, and specialised infrastructure companies and tradespersons.

We also frequently act for insured parties who find themselves the subject of investigation and/or prosecution by WorkSafe, by Local and Regional authorities under the Resource Management Act, and by other agencies that have regulatory functions with ancillary prosecutorial functions, such as the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Civil Aviation Authority, and Maritime New Zealand to name but a few.

Even before the advent of the Covid pandemic we were a mobile practice able to work from any location or multiple locations at the same time. We have offices in Queenstown and Christchurch. Our work takes us around New Zealand’s court rooms and board rooms most weeks and we are never more than a flight, video call or phone call away.

Parker Cowan has been in existence since 2013, building on the experience of its partners accumulated in various areas of practice throughout New Zealand and overseas, and now fully focused on the specialist areas of legal discipline set out above.

We pride ourselves on applying the utmost rigour to our legal practice while at the same time balancing our lives with biking, hiking, running, fishing, hunting, skiing and boating, and spending time with our families in this beautiful part of Aotearoa New Zealand.

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