Two well-known and proudly Waikato owned law firms are joining forces in April this year, growing their ability to service the wider Waikato region. Harkness Henry and Cambridge Law have a proud history in the Mighty Waikato and plan to strengthen bonds further in a joint partnership moving forward under the Harkness Henry brand from 1 April 2022.
Managing Partner of Harkness Henry, Matthew Peploe notes “both our teams are excited about the move. We have similar values, share a great sense of client care and we’re very confident our people will work well together to help our clients build better lives”.
As well as the obvious benefits to business and clients, the cultural fit has been a really important factor in the decision to align Cambridge Law with Harkness Henry. “We are not trying to fit a square peg in a round hole or bring together two very divergent firms and teams that don’t fit” notes Peploe. Chad Danswan, Managing Partner of Cambridge Law said “the opportunity arose from a history of working together. Matthew and I realised we had a mutual opportunity that would benefit our people and our clients moving forward. This fitted nicely with discussions my fellow Cambridge Law Partner Dean Clarke and I had been having on Dean’s succession and building a strong future for our Cambridge firm”.
There’s an important shared belief driving this decision, that you can’t beat having local presence, local owners and great local people at the core of enduring client relationships which both firms have built in the Waikato to date.
“Both firms and the respective Partners are well known to each other having worked with mutual clients for a couple of years now and this seemed a very logical next move for us” noted Danswan.
The move broadens Harkness Henry’s local office presence with offices in Hamilton, Paeroa and now Cambridge, complementing Harkness Henry’s growth strategy and clear focus in the Waikato. “Our team is excited about the Cambridge opportunity, several of our team live nearby or work with clients in the area already and the fast-growing area has great future potential for us all” notes Harkness Henry Chief Executive, Simon Wickham.
The Cambridge office remaining open is key: “It’s a joining of forces, definitely not a take-over” noted Wickham. “The local Harkness Henry office in Cambridge will continue with the same great people Cambridge clients know and trust and we’ll add further expertise to the great service the Cambridge team are well known for”.
For Cambridge Law and their current clients, Harkness Henry will add in-house experience and capacity for Cambridge based clients to complement and enhance the expertise presently offered by local Partners Chad Danswan and Dean Clarke and the current team based in Cambridge. Harkness Henry will extend the firms’ service offering with a wide range of specialist lawyers on tap with extensive expertise in Employment, Commercial, Resource Management and Public Works, Litigation, Trust and Estate planning, Alcohol Licensing and Property/Construction law expertise.
