Source: Holland Beckett Law (media release)

Holland Beckett Law have completed negotiations with JWL Central Ltd to lease approximately 2000 square metres of space in the Northern Quarter development.  Partner John Mackay says that the firm made the decision to move into the CBD in August 2020.  “We wanted to have a physical presence in the heart of city and to be part of the revitalisation of the Tauranga CBD.  We have 110 people currently working in our Tauranga office and we hope that bringing our people into the CBD will be good news for the business, retail and hospitality sectors.

We were looking for a large floor plate that would enable our legal team to work together on one floor.  The complex nature of many legal matters often necessitates a collaborative approach, drawing on the expertise of specialists within different practice areas. This is made that much easier when you are within line of sight of the experts you need.  We knew that to get the right environment for our business, our people and our clients meant that planning needed to start well before it was time to move.  Having signed an agreement to lease  is a big milestone for us and the overall project.”

Practice Manager Sharline Fitzgerald said “The management team are focused on providing an office that meets the needs and expectations of both clients and staff.  With flexible work options now the norm we see benefits in making the office a destination that our people want to come to.  As the city grows we are seeing a bigger emphasis on public transport, cycleways and even a ferry service.  These services tend to terminate at the CBD so we are looking forward to being able to increase our participation.”

Mackay was a new partner when the firm moved to the premises at 525 Cameron Road in 2008 and credits the significant growth the firm has been able to achieve over the last 14 years to the open plan premises.  “When we moved in 2008 it was very bold for a law firm to embrace the open plan environment but we knew that it would give us the flexibility we needed to grow the firm.  The open plan environment supports better supervision and delegation which are key to developing good lawyers.  In 2008 we had 14 lawyers in total and we are now the largest law firm in the region with 52 lawyers in the Tauranga office and a further 12 lawyers in our Rotorua and Whakatane offices.

The development team on the Northern Quarter project have presented a quality building that will change the landscape downtown and we are excited about our move to The Strand.”

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Read more about the new lease at the Northern Quarter in the JWL Investments media release: Bay of Plenty’s largest law firm takes up lease at Northern Quarter development in Tauranga’s CBD