Partridge Jewellers Large Law Firm of the Year

Partridge Jewellers Large Law Firm of the Year Award

Winner: Simpson Grierson

Glenn Peachey, Managing Director, Partridge Jewellers and Kevin Jaffe, Partner/Chairman, Simpson Grierson

Large firm, large clients – it’s still all about people

By Craig Sisterson

In the end, you can’t get away from the fact that law is really a people business, says Simpson Grierson Chairman Kevin Jaffe, whose firm won the Partridge Jewellers Large Law Firm of the Year Award at this year’s New Zealand Law Awards™. “People are always going to see the best law firms as the ones with people they can really relate to, engage with, and who will deliver them value. There is the legal aspect, but that’s really a given – it’s how you use those legal tools to relate to your clients.”

Simpson Grierson’s own clients are certainly pleased with the way the firm has engaged with and related to them and their businesses. One voter said: “Compared to the other law firms we have used, Simpson Grierson has been far superior and much more cost-effective. They understand what the client wants and needs and how much their advice is worth.”

That type of feedback is exactly what you want to hear from your clients, says Jaffe. “In these times when it is tougher for our clients and ourselves, the key is to get closer to your clients, and it’s a bit of a reflection that we’ve hopefully done that quite well; that we’ve got close to our clients, that we’ve understood their business. It’s a positive thing in quite a tough environment, and you don’t get too many of those… So, yeah, our staff are very pleased.”

Jaffe says the lawyers at Simpson Grierson have always been close to their clients, but in the current economic climate it’s important for all lawyers to re-engage with their clients even more, because clients’ businesses can be changing rapidly, and can be very different to what they were a year or two ago. “It’s a matter of understanding what their risks are, and how they’re running their business, because a lot of them have had to change the way they operate. So I think the big thing for us is having to understand how their world’s changed, and how that impacts on what they need from us and delivering that.”

That actual follow-through and delivery is key, adds Jaffe. As important as relationship building and understanding your clients is, lawyers need to ensure that they use that knowledge and then roll up their sleeves and perform. It also helps to take a long-term focus, particularly in the current times. “It’s a matter of listening to your clients, listening to what’s happening out there, and acting on it. You do have to act on it, because you can go out there and say what you like, but … you really do have to be genuine about it, and you’ve got to want to, and have the passion to, deliver for the clients.”

NZLawyer, issue 126, 27 November 2009

1st runner up: Duncan Cotterill Lawyers

2nd runner up: Kensington Swan

FINALISTS:

Anderson Lloyd
DLA Phillips Fox
Duncan Cotterill Lawyers
Kensington Swan
Minter Ellison Rudd Watts
Simpson Grierson

Criteria:
The winning firm will:

have 25+ partners
provide excellence in client service
possess leading expertise in advising across a broad range of practice areas and the ability to marshal large, yet focused, teams
be experienced in acting on New Zealand’s largest, most complex, and urgent transactions and disputes

Award Sponsor:

Partridge Jewellers is synonymous with beautiful handcrafted jewellery.

Our reputation is a culmination of over five generations of experience within the Jewellery and Watch industries in New Zealand. We are located in Wellington, Auckland, and Newmarket.

Specialising in diamond, precious gem, pearl, gold, and platinum, we design and manufacture most of our own jewellery, but also import a selection of pieces from leading International Jewellery Houses enabling our customers to select jewellery which captures the very latest in international trends.

Partridge Jewellers philosophy of design and quality is simple:
When we create a piece of jewellery we think of originality, beauty, and quality, ensuring our customers get the very best we can offer.

In our stores you will also find a comprehensive range of leading luxury timepieces.
Including: Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Omega.