What Duncan Cotterill does

Duncan Cotterill is a New Zealand-based, full-service law firm operating through six regional offices across the country (Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch, and Queenstown), with Christchurch functioning as the likely headquarters. Founded in 1986, the firm employs between 251 and 500 people and serves two principal client segments: business and corporate clients (primary), spanning sectors such as agribusiness, banking & finance, corporate, commercial, construction, employment, technology, property, litigation, immigration, health, and insurance; and individual/personal clients seeking family, wills, immigration, and private client services. The firm does not develop or sell technology products; its core offering is professional legal advisory, transactional, and litigation services delivered through licensed lawyers and specialists across 30+ practice areas.

The firm has built out dedicated capabilities in emerging practice areas — notably an Artificial Intelligence practice staffed by Partners Michael Moyes and Peter Fernando plus a Senior Associate and an Associate — as well as established Cyber, Data Protection & Privacy, and Resource Management teams. Business is conducted on a relationship-based, sales-led go-to-market model: clients are acquired via direct engagement at offices, referrals from existing clients and professional networks, content marketing (insights blog, publications, videos, podcasts, email subscriptions), and events/seminars. Revenue is generated through professional services fees (hourly, fixed-fee, or value-based arrangements), with no public pricing disclosed. The firm holds no external investment and operates as an independent private partnership-equivalent structure.

Name

Duncan Cotterill

Legal name

Duncan Cotterill

Website

https://duncancotterill.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Duncan Cotterill is a New Zealand law firm founded in 1986, operating six regional offices across the country. It provides full-service legal advisory and litigation services to corporate and individual clients across 30+ practice areas, including emerging areas like AI law.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Professional legal services billed to clients for advisory, transactional, and litigation work across all practice areas. Revenue generated through legal professional fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Duncan Cotterill is a New Zealand-based law firm providing comprehensive legal advisory, transactional, and litigation services to business and individual clients. Business services cover sectors including Agribusiness, Banking & Finance, Corporate, Commercial, Construction, Employment, Cyber, Data Protection & Privacy, Immigration, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Property, Technology, AI, Health, and Trusts. Personal services cover Family & Relationship, Individual Immigration, Private Client, and Wills.

Product overview

Duncan Cotterill is a New Zealand law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services organized into two main categories: Business Expertise (covering sectors such as Agribusiness, Banking & Finance, Corporate, Cyber, Data Protection & Privacy, Employment, Health, Immigration, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Property, Technology, and Trusts) and Personal Expertise (covering Family & Relationship, Individual Immigration, Private Client, and Wills). The firm also provides value-added knowledge resources including publications, legal insights, an Immigration Information Hub, downloadable guides (Grad Guide, Privacy Breach Guide, Moving to New Zealand Guide), and email subscription services for legal updates and event invitations. The firm's Technology and Artificial Intelligence expertise pages indicate they advise clients on AI-related legal matters including contract review, ethical practices, and regulatory compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Legal Services Comprehensive legal advisory, transactional, and litigation services for businesses across sectors including Agribusiness, Banking & Finance, Competition & Antitrust, Construction & Projects, Commercial, Corporate, Cyber, Data Protection & Privacy, Disaster Recovery Support, Education, Employment, Energy & Renewables, Franchise, Health, Health & Safety, Immigration (Corporate), Insolvency & Restructuring, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Not-For-Profits & Incorporated Societies, Overseas Investment, Property, Public Law, Resource Management, Technology, Trusts, and Workplace Investigations.
• Personal Legal Services Legal services for individuals and families covering Family & Relationship matters, Individual Immigration, Private Client services, Property, Trusts, Wills, Employment, Health, Disaster Recovery Support, Overseas Investment, and Resource Management.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Business BrokeragesminorOthersFor the Business Investor Visa service, Duncan Cotterill works with business brokerages to help clients locate and evaluate appropriate businesses to purchase in New Zealand.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Buddle Findlay: One of New Zealand's leading full-service commercial law firms with offices in Auckland and Wellington, providing corporate, litigation, employment, property, and public-law services to corporate and government clients—directly comparable to Duncan Cotterill's mid-market full-service positioning.
• Bell Gully: New Zealand's largest full-service commercial law firm headquartered in Auckland and Wellington, offering corporate, banking, employment, property, and dispute-resolution services. It is the most prominent incumbent competitor in the segment Duncan Cotterill serves.
• Chapman Tripp: New Zealand full-service law firm with deep corporate, finance, energy, and public-law practices across Auckland and Wellington. Comparable scale and practice breadth to Duncan Cotterill's business expertise offering.
• Simpson Grierson: NZ-based full-service commercial law firm with offices in Auckland and Wellington covering corporate, commercial, litigation, employment, and property—overlapping with Duncan Cotterill's practice mix and target mid/large corporate segment.
• MinterEllisonRuddWatts: New Zealand arm of global firm MinterEllison, offering corporate, infrastructure, energy, employment and litigation services. Comparable practice mix with the additional benefit of an international network—an aspirational and direct competitor to Duncan Cotterill's business clients.
• Anderson Lloyd: Mid-sized NZ full-service firm with offices in Christchurch, Queenstown, and Dunedin—particularly comparable given overlapping South Island presence with Duncan Cotterill and similar practice breadth.
• Lane Neave: New Zealand mid-market full-service law firm with strong presence in Canterbury and the South Island. Comparable in scale, regional footprint, and blended business/personal legal offering to Duncan Cotterill.
• Tompkins Wake: NZ mid-tier firm with offices across the North Island providing corporate, commercial, property and dispute-resolution services; comparable mid-market positioning and full-service orientation.

Broad incumbents

• DLA Piper (New Zealand): Global law firm with a New Zealand presence providing cross-border corporate, finance, technology, and dispute-resolution services—competes for the same large NZ corporate matters as Duncan Cotterill but from a global platform.

Emerging players

• AJ Park: New Zealand intellectual-property focused firm providing patent, trademark and IP-strategy services. Comparable on the IP practice overlap with Duncan Cotterill's technology and intellectual-property capabilities, though specialised in IP rather than full-service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duncan-cotterill

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Duncan Cotterill