Chapman Tripp

Chapman Tripp

No. of offices	3
No. of attorneys	200+
No. of employees	250+
Major practice areas	General Practice
Key people	Nick Wells (Chief Executive Partner) Roger Wallis (Chairman of the Board) Tim Jones (COO) Andrew Cammell (CIO)
Date founded	1875
Website	www.chapmantripp.com

Chapman Tripp is New Zealand's largest commercial law firm. It is considered one of the "big three" law firms along with Russell McVeagh and Bell Gully. Established in New Zealand in 1875, it now has 53 partners and roughly 200 legal staff across its offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The firm practises in all areas of commercial, corporate, securities, property, environmental and public law.

History

Chapman Tripp started as a one-man practice in Wellington in 1875 with Martin Chapman. Chapman was joined in partnership by William Fitzgerald in 1882 and then by Leonard Owen Howard Tripp in 1889, who spend a record 69 years with the firm.

The firm went through many name changes, reverting to Chapman Tripp & Co in 1949.

In 1962 the firm opened an Auckland office, becoming the first law firm to have offices in both Auckland and Wellington. In 1985 Chapman Tripp merged with Sheffield Young and Ellis, becoming Chapman Tripp Sheffield Young, and in late 1997 the Christchurch office was opened.

Notable Alumni

Supreme Court judge Justice Arnold was a partner of predecessor firm Chapman Tripp Sheffield Young between 1985 and 1994. He later served as Solicitor-General between 2000 and 2006 before becoming a judge of the Court of Appeal, sitting from 2006 until his elevation to the Supreme Court.^[1]

The Honourable Justice Sir Mark O'Regan of the Court of Appeal served as partner at Chapman Tripp from 1984. He was appointed to the High Court in 2001, and was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2004 where he served as President of the Court of Appeal,^[2] until his elevation to the Supreme Court in September 2014. Justice Miller was a partner at Chapman Tripp from 1987, until appointment to the High Court in 2004, and then to the Court of Appeal in June 2013.

High Court judges Collins, Ellis, Gilbert, Katz, MacKenzie and Peters of the High Court all previously held roles at Chapman Tripp,^[3] as have a number of District Court judges.

Supporting the Arts

Chapman Tripp is a major supporter of the arts and communities in New Zealand. Chapman Tripp has sponsored the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards since 1992, when the annual awards were established to honour the best in theatre in Wellington. The awards are a major highlight of the year in the capital's art and social calendar.^[4]

In addition, Chapman Tripp sponsors the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra,^[5] the Vector Wellington Orchestra,^[6] the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra,^[7] the New Zealand Opera,^[8] and the Circa theatre.^[9]

Ranking

Chapman Tripp is regularly ranked as one of New Zealand's leading law firms, and is considered a top-tier firm in Banking, Finance and Project Finance;^[10][11] Capital Markets;^[12] Corporate Commercial and M&A;^[13][14][15] Dispute Resolution;^[16][17] Real Estate & Construction;^[18] and Restructuring and Insolvency.^[19][20]

Across all three major rankings publications, Chapman Tripp has more top-tier rankings than any other New Zealand firm.

References

External links

• Link to Chapman Tripp website
• Martin Chapman, from Cyclopaedia of New Zealand 1897
• A younger Martin Chapman, from Early Wellington 1929
• Chapman and Tripp, from Cyclopaedia of New Zealand 1897

Law firms of New Zealand
Law of New Zealand Economy of New Zealand
Firms	Big Three Bell Gully Chapman Tripp Russell McVeagh Other Major Firms Buddle Findlay Mayne Wetherell Simpson Grierson Kensington Swan Minter Ellison Rudd Watts
Government, regulatory and industry bodies	Broadcasting Standards Authority Commerce Commission Electoral Commission Financial Markets Authority (New Zealand) Law Commission Takeovers Panel (New Zealand)
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