What Buddle Findlay does

Buddle Findlay is a leading New Zealand commercial and public law firm headquartered in Auckland with regional offices in Wellington and Christchurch. The firm provides comprehensive legal services across more than 25 practice areas and sectors, with primary emphasis on corporate and commercial transactions (M&A, capital markets, private equity, joint ventures), government and local government (resource management, RMA matters, public law, commissions of inquiry), infrastructure and energy (project finance, construction), financial services regulation, employment, property, and litigation. Its client base is anchored by New Zealand government agencies, local authorities and large enterprises, including NZ Transport Agency, Auckland Council, Christchurch City Council, Ministry of Health, Westpac New Zealand, Microsoft, and Scentre Group/Westfield.

The firm operates on a partner-led engagement model with senior partner oversight of all matters, and bills primarily on a time-spent basis at hourly rates reviewed annually, supplemented by a 3.5% service charge on fees and a 6% trust account administration fee. Technology deployment is standard for legal practice (document management, CRM, cloud AML/CFT verification through First AML) and the firm has one self-developed product: 'Back of a Napkin', a web tool launched in 2024 that helps early-stage and startup ventures generate business agreements. In December 2025 the firm achieved ISO/IEC 27001 certification firm-wide, and in 2026 it added multiple partners and senior associates across employment, property/construction, resource management and corporate teams.

The firm employs 42 partners with 42% female partnership representation as of January 2026, is led by Chief Executive Philip Maitland and National Chair Sherridan Cook, and operates a related special-purpose entity, Mid-Town Agency Services Limited (MTA), for database searches and registrations. Distribution is wholly domestic through three CBD offices, with cross-border matters handled via the firm's stated expertise in Asia business and Australian connections, and multilingual site access (Chinese, Japanese, Korean).

Name

Buddle Findlay

Legal name

Buddle Findlay

Website

https://buddlefindlay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Buddle Findlay is a leading New Zealand commercial and public law firm with offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. It serves government agencies, local authorities and large enterprises across corporate, M&A, infrastructure, resource management, employment and litigation matters on a time-billed, partner-led model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Time-based Billing: Buddle Findlay charges for legal services by reference to time spent, at relevant hourly rates. This is the primary revenue stream. Factors considered include complexity, specialized knowledge required, transaction value, urgency, and overall result. Fixed quotes may be available in some circumstances.
2. Service Charge: A service charge of 3.5% of fees for legal services covers general office services including routine photocopying, communications, postage and couriers.
3. Trust Account Administration: Administration fee of 6% of gross interest earned on client funds held in trust accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Buddle Findlay is a New Zealand commercial law firm delivering comprehensive legal advisory services across corporate and commercial law, banking and financial services, employment, property, litigation, tax, resource management, public law, and sector-focused practices. The firm serves both public and private clients through offices in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, and also offers a self-service web tool called 'Back of a Napkin' that helps early-stage startups create business agreements.

Product overview

Buddle Findlay is a New Zealand law firm offering comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas. Rather than a unified software product, the firm provides legal advisory services organized by sector expertise and practice areas. The service portfolio spans corporate and commercial law, banking and financial services, employment, property, litigation, tax, and specialized sectors including technology, media and telecommunications, climate change and sustainability, and Māori law. The firm also offers a web tool called 'Back of a Napkin' for creating business agreements, along with traditional legal services delivered through their offices in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate and Commercial Legal Services Legal advisory covering mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, capital markets, overseas investment, private equity, takeovers, joint ventures, and franchising for large public and private companies in New Zealand.
• Banking and Financial Services Legal Services Legal services covering AML/CFT, corporate trustees, financial services regulation, funds management, leveraged and acquisition finance, project and infrastructure financing, restructuring and insolvency, securitisation, and structured finance.
• Environment and Resource Management Legal Services Legal services covering resource consenting, conservation law, fisheries and aquaculture, minerals and petroleum, water and wastewater, climate change and sustainability, and Environment Court advocacy.
• Employment Law Services Employment legal services covering collective and individual employment agreements, disciplinary processes, bullying and harassment investigations, restructuring, personal grievances, health and safety, human rights and privacy, and WorkSafe investigations.
• Public Law and Regulation Services Legal services for government agencies and public bodies covering administrative law, government procurement, official information, commissions of inquiry, and constitutional matters.
• Property and Construction Legal Services Property and construction law services covering commercial property acquisition and disposal, commercial leasing, development projects, construction contracts, energy and infrastructure projects, and property finance.
• Local Government Legal Services Legal services for local authorities and councils covering district plan reviews, plan changes, RMA matters, Local Water Done Well, designations, and resource consenting.
• Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Commercial litigation and dispute resolution services in New Zealand courts, including appeals, enforcement actions, and formal commercial dispute adjudication.
• Back of a Napkin A web-based self-service tool that simplifies the creation of vital business agreements for early-stage and startup ventures.
• Mid-Town Agency Services Limited (MTA) Subsidiary entity that performs database searches, registrations, and certification services on behalf of Buddle Findlay clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification achieved December 2025

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• First AMLcoreTechnology or IntegrationFirst AML is a cloud-based AML/CFT and identity verification service used by Buddle Findlay to collect and securely store client due diligence information. The service uses biometrics, OCR, and trusted data sources to confirm identity and residential addresses for New Zealand and Australian residents.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Lane Neave: Lane Neave is a New Zealand law firm with offices in Christchurch, Auckland, and other regional centres, focused on corporate, property, and resource management work. It overlaps with Buddle Findlay in the South Island but operates with a more regional footprint.

Direct peers

• MinterEllisonRuddWatts: MinterEllisonRuddWatts is the NZ arm of the MinterEllison network and a leading NZ corporate firm headquartered in Auckland with a Wellington office. It competes directly with Buddle Findlay across corporate, banking, infrastructure, and government work and is part of a broader Asia-Pacific platform.
• Chapman Tripp: Chapman Tripp is a leading full-service NZ commercial law firm with offices in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Its broad practice across corporate, resource management, public law, and banking directly mirrors Buddle Findlay's offering and core client segments.
• Anderson Lloyd: Anderson Lloyd is a leading NZ law firm with offices in Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, and Auckland, with strong environment, resource management, and public law practices. It competes with Buddle Findlay particularly on South Island government and resource management mandates.
• Simpson Grierson: Simpson Grierson is a leading NZ commercial law firm with offices in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, providing corporate, public law, environment, and property services. It serves a similar mix of government, corporate, and infrastructure clients as Buddle Findlay.
• Bell Gully: Bell Gully is consistently ranked as New Zealand's leading corporate and commercial law firm, with offices in Auckland and Wellington. It competes head-to-head with Buddle Findlay on top-tier M&A, capital markets, and government mandates, making it the closest direct peer in the NZ full-service commercial market.
• Russell McVeagh: Russell McVeagh is one of NZ's 'Big Six' commercial law firms with offices in Auckland and Wellington. It offers a comparable full-service corporate, banking, litigation, and property practice and competes directly with Buddle Findlay for marquee NZ corporate and government mandates.
• Meredith Connell: Meredith Connell is a New Zealand firm with strong public law, regulatory, and litigation practices and offices in Auckland and Wellington. It competes with Buddle Findlay for government, regulatory, and dispute resolution mandates, particularly at central and local government level.

Broad incumbents

• DLA Piper (New Zealand): DLA Piper is a global law firm with a New Zealand office that competes for cross-border M&A, capital markets, and infrastructure mandates. Its global platform overlaps with Buddle Findlay's international-facing practice areas, particularly for clients with Asia-Pacific or cross-border needs.
• King & Wood Mallesons: King & Wood Mallesons is a global elite law firm with an established New Zealand presence. It competes for the largest cross-border transactions, energy, and infrastructure mandates in NZ, representing an international incumbent pressure point for Buddle Findlay.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buddle-findlay
• Instagraminstagram.com/buddle_findlay
• Xx.com/BuddleFindlay

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Buddle Findlay