Newsletter - October 2024
This time of the year always feels pretty chaotic (which is why our October newsletter is arriving on 01 November!)…the days are quickly ticking by as we approach Christmas and the silly season slowly descends upon us. There are often too many engagements, gatherings and social events to keep up with and essential life admin, gets put on the back-burner. So to keep things light and as a bit of a break from our usual newsletter contents, this month, it’s all about the people - our people.
We know that dealing with the law can be a very daunting prospect for clients, even those who have been through the process before, and so we take great pride in being approachable, listening to what our clients need and being able to explain the possible options in simple, clear terms. The video introductions on this page, hopefully give you some insight in to that approach and how our people do what they do.
Meet The Team
Although we have a large and diverse team and we would love to show you videos for everyone, this month we are going to spotlight four of our colleagues from different areas of the firm. We will add more of the team in future newsletters. Each video is roughly two and a half minutes long (and has audio).
Michael Robinson (Partner)
Michael is the Senior Litigation/Dispute Resolution Partner at Turner Hopkins and has been with Turner Hopkins since 1996 and has been the Litigation Partner since 2000. Michael prides himself in providing impeccable personalized service, which is not only cost effective but also achieves the best possible result. He focuses on listening to his clients, finding solutions to their challenge and ultimately ensuring a positive outcome.
Michael specialises in the area of Civil/Commercial Litigation, Dispute Resolution, Relationship Property, Employment, Negligence, Cross-Border Disputes, Debt Recovery and Mediation.
Kate Chivers (Partner)
When Kate moved to New Zealand in 2003, she joined NZ Police, and it was while fulfilling her full-time role as sergeant, that she completed her studies as an LLB (Bachelor of Laws). Law has always been at the heart of Kate Chivers' career.
Fulfilling a long-time goal, Kate set up her own legal firm, KC Legal, in 2020. This allowed her to focus solely on her clients, responding and adapting swiftly. However, working alone does have its limitations in terms of time and resources. So, when Turner Hopkins approached Kate, she welcomed the opportunity to join a progressive law firm with an experienced team that collaborates to benefit its clients.
Jade Cookson (Principal)
A compassionate advocate, Jade deeply values the human side of her profession, cherishing the moments she connects with individuals during their most vulnerable phases, offering both support and guidance.
Jade grew up on the North Shore attending Carmel College and following this completed a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws at Auckland University. Jade finds the best part of her job to be connecting with people at times they feel most vulnerable and steadily guiding them through the legal process in a pragmatic and efficient manner. She enjoys seeing the weight being lifted off her client's shoulders as they let her help take away some of their stress at such difficult times.
Catherine Pendleton (Principal)
Catherine is a specialist employment lawyer, workplace investigator, and civil litigator. Catherine previously worked as a junior barrister at Bankside Chambers.
Since joining Turner Hopkins in 2017, Catherine's main areas of practice have been employment law advice, representation and investigations - drafting employment agreements, personal grievance disputes, restraint of trade, disciplinary action, redundancies and restructuring, Privacy Act compliance, employment workplace investigations, independent contractor agreements, shareholder and senior employee exit disputes, property disputes, and general civil litigation including High Court, arbitration and mediations.
"The best thing about TH is the down-to-earth firm culture, and being part of a team where we value our family, passions and interests outside of work too.
Of course we have many other talented individuals working within the firm, including our support staff and administration teams, and you can find out more about them on our Our People page.
You can also find out more about the firm, our services and the way we work, through our introductory video (on the left).
As we race towards the end of the year, its a good time to remember that leaving things until the last minute is never a good idea and there is still time to get some of those more complicated matters out of the way . To avoid that last minute rush of ‘things to be done’, why not get in touch with us today to discuss any matters you need to try and wind up before 2025 is upon us.
As the weather continues to warm up (even if it is a little slower than usual) there is a renewed optimism in the air. Perhaps its the thought of summer, some time off over the holidays, falling interest rates or just the idea that 2024 is almost behind us, but it certainly feels like we are aiming to thrive instead of just survive.
Next month we will be working on a wrap up of 2024, covering some of the key events and things to look out for over the holiday season and also in to 2025. We will also be able to bring you some of the highlights from our 100 Year celebrations, taking place on 21 November.
Remember if you have any topics that you would like us to discuss or highlight in our monthly newsletters, then email us with your thoughts.
Until next month!
The Team - Turner Hopkins
