What Fortune Manning does

Fortune Manning is a privately held, full-service law firm headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, tracing its origins to a 1928 practice by John Wilfred Manning and formally constituted through a 1971 amalgamation. The firm operates from a single Newmarket office with a team of approximately 14, comprising 3 partners, 4 associates, plus consultants, trust administrators, and administrative staff. It services five broad customer segments — transport operators (the flagship vertical), individuals and families, corporate and commercial clients, franchisors and franchisees, and charitable/non-profit entities — across 16 documented practice areas including transport law, corporate advisory, commercial and residential property, employment, franchising, building and construction, insolvency, dispute resolution, technology, relationship property, trusts and estates, retirement, notary public, international, M&A, and charitable entities.

Revenue is generated through time-based professional-services billing, with a fixed-price package specifically marketed for franchise sale/purchase transactions; the firm does not publicly disclose revenue or pricing. Its go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, relying on direct office consultations, the INTERLAW international legal network for cross-border referrals, an embedded advisory relationship with the National Road Carriers Association (NZ's leading transport industry body), and ongoing content marketing including the "Legal Torque" transport-law newsletter and a multi-topic blog. Multilingual capability in Cantonese and Mandarin, led by Vivian Kwok, extends reach to Chinese-speaking clients on property and commercial matters.

The firm has no disclosed technology platform, API, app, AI/ML capability, or funding activity; it is a partnership-structured professional services business built on partner expertise (notably Shafraz Khan as one of very few specialist transport lawyers in NZ), long-tenured institutional knowledge (Cathy Fisher since 1993, Sue Brown since 2004, David Selkirk 30+ years), and embedded industry relationships. Fortune Manning does not disclose revenue, ownership structure, or financial performance and shows no signs of external investment or exit intent.

Name

Fortune Manning

Legal name

Fortune Manning Lawyers

Website

https://fortunemanning.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fortune Manning is a privately held full-service Auckland law firm of approximately 14 staff, providing specialist legal services across 16 practice areas with transport law as its flagship, serving transport operators, businesses, families, franchisors, and charitable entities in New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Professional legal services billed primarily through time-based fees for individual and business clients, with fixed price packages offered for franchise transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fortune Manning is a full-service law firm based in Auckland, New Zealand, providing legal advisory and representation across 16+ practice areas. The firm's primary specialisation is transport law (with 40+ years of association with National Road Carriers), complemented by corporate/commercial advisory, property, employment, franchising, family/relationship property, trusts and estates, building and construction, insolvency, dispute resolution, and notary public services.

Product overview

Fortune Manning is a law firm providing comprehensive legal services in Auckland, New Zealand, operating since 1956. The firm operates as a unified legal practice with multiple specialist practice areas rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their core service offerings span Transport Law (the firm's leading practice with 40+ years of industry association), Technology Law, Corporate Advisory, Franchising, Building and Construction, Employment Law, Insolvency and Debt Recovery, Relationship Property, Trust and Estate Planning, Property Law, Dispute Resolution, Notary Public, Retirement, International, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Charitable Entities services. The firm provides tailored legal solutions through specialist lawyers including Partners Shafraz Khan (transport), Cathy Fisher (litigation), Diong Ding (commercial/property), and Associates Sue Brown, Lauren McIvor, Matthew Orange, and Ashley Oh.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transport Law Services Leading transport law services in New Zealand providing legal advice to transport operators including transport companies, fleet operators, owner drivers, employed drivers, couriers, and taxi proprietors. Covers contracts, policy advice, arbitration, licensing, Road User Charges Act compliance, NZTA audits and appeals, and CVIU prosecution defence.
• Technology Law Services Legal services for technology matters including privacy policy, terms of use, intellectual property, founder agreements, seed investment, subscription agreements, due diligence, convertible loans, and seed funding. For startups and ecommerce companies.
• Franchising Legal Services Legal assistance for franchisors and franchisees covering purchase or sale of franchise businesses, franchise agreement obligations, lease documentation review, dispute resolution, business structures, succession planning, trust establishment, and funding documentation review. Fixed price packages available for franchise transactions.
• Corporate Advisory Services Company and commercial law advice to corporate and commercial clients nationally and internationally, including acting for listed public companies, prospectus and Stock Exchange matters, securities and recovery work, leasing and licensing, distribution arrangements, trademarking, foreign investment, and general corporate advice.
• Building and Construction Legal Services Specialist building and construction legal advice to developers, builders, contractors and clients covering construction contract review, law changes, negotiation of terms, risk management, procurement, warranty claims, adjudications, payment claims, and dispute resolution.
• Employment Law Services Employment law advice and representation including health and safety, ACC, privacy and HR strategy, covering employment agreements, collective negotiations, personal grievances, redundancy, disciplinary issues, discrimination, Holidays Act compliance, and representation in Employment Relations Authority, Employment Court and High Court.
• Insolvency and Debt Recovery Services Insolvency advisory services for receivers, liquidators, insolvency practitioners, company directors, trustees and private clients, covering business structure, voluntary and involuntary liquidation, statutory demands, receivership, schemes of arrangement, security interests, voidable transactions, and personal insolvency.
• Relationship Property Services Legal services covering pre-nuptial and relationship property agreements, separation agreements, divorce and dissolution of marriage, property settlements, and litigation in relationship property matters for individuals and couples.
• Trust, Wills, Estates and Enduring Powers of Attorney Services Legal services for estate planning including wills, trusts, estate administration, inheritance trusts, charitable entities establishment, trust disputes, and trust administration.
• Property Law Services Property legal services including residential and commercial property transactions, sale and purchase of property, leasing, development, property finance, commercial conveyancing, and foreign client property acquisition in New Zealand.
• Dispute Resolution Services Commercial and civil litigation services including contract disputes, negligence cases, dispute resolution through courts, arbitrations, mediations, and direct negotiation.
• Notary Public Services Notary public services for authentication and certification of documents for international use.
• Retirement Legal Services Legal services related to retirement including retirement village agreements, occupation licences review, reverse annuity mortgages, and retirement planning advice.
• International Legal Services Legal services for international matters including advising international companies on compliance and contract issues when entering New Zealand, overseas investment, and cross-border transactions.
• Mergers and Acquisitions Services Legal advisory services for mergers and acquisitions transactions.
• Charitable Entities Services Legal services for establishing charitable entities including charitable trusts, incorporated societies, and charitable companies under the Charities Act 2005, with registration and compliance support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful challenge against New Zealand Police policy to seek GPS records through Commercial Vehicles Investigation Unit from transport operators
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• INTERLAWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational legal network providing Fortune Manning with global referral capabilities. Statement: 'You have a LAWYER in INTERLAW Each Country With'. The firm can connect clients with correspondent law firms worldwide through this membership.
• National Road Carriers AssociationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Zealand's leading transport industry association. Fortune Manning acts for National Road Carriers and provides legal advice to their members on compliance, contracts, employment, immigration, tax, and company structuring matters.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bell Gully: One of NZ's largest full-service law firms. Overlaps with Fortune Manning across commercial, M&A, dispute resolution, and transport-related work but at materially greater scale and resource base.
• Chapman Tripp: Top-tier NZ firm with comprehensive full-service offerings across corporate, commercial, property, and litigation. Direct overlap with Fortune Manning's service lines but at large-firm scale.
• Simpson Grierson: Leading NZ full-service firm with deep corporate, commercial, and dispute resolution practice. Overlapping practice mix and similar multi-disciplinary orientation at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Lane Neave: South Island-headquartered NZ full-service firm with strong commercial, property, employment, and private-client practices. Comparable mid-sized general-practice footprint.
• Wynn Williams: New Zealand mid-tier full-service firm with strong litigation, commercial, and property capabilities. Comparable boutique-to-mid-tier positioning and multi-practice breadth against Fortune Manning.
• Tompkins Wake: NZ full-service commercial firm with comparable multi-office breadth across commercial, property, employment, and dispute resolution. Directly comparable private-client and SME corporate practice mix.
• Anderson Lloyd: Mid-sized full-service NZ law firm with multiple offices and a comparable breadth of practice areas including commercial, property, employment, and litigation. Closest comparable in scale and service mix to Fortune Manning's general practice.
• Harkness Henry: Mid-sized NZ commercial and private-client firm with comparable practice areas (commercial, property, trust/estate, employment). Comparable boutique full-service positioning.

Emerging players

• James & Wells: NZ firm notable for IP and technology law practices. Overlaps with Fortune Manning's technology/startup law service offering and is a relevant peer in the technology-and-startups niche within NZ legal services.

Regional players

• Webb Farry: NZ firm with comparable commercial, property, and private-client offerings. Similar boutique full-service orientation though with regional weight in specific NZ markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fortune-manning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Fortune Manning