What McCaw Lewis does

McCaw Lewis is a privately held, full-service law firm headquartered in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a secondary office in Te Kūiti. Founded in 1919, the firm has operated continuously for over 105 years and currently employs between 11 and 50 staff across legal, executive, and support functions. It serves a diverse client base that includes individuals, whānau, family businesses, established corporates, iwi, hapū, trusts, and charities across the Waikato region and broader New Zealand.

The firm's practice spans eight core service areas: Commercial Law, Property, Dispute Resolution, Asset Planning, Environment and Resource Management, Māori Land, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and Workplace Law. A distinctive capability is its te ao Māori expertise: lawyers with whakapapa across Aotearoa incorporate tikanga and contextual considerations into legal and strategic advice, particularly for Māori land, Treaty, and customary title matters. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is delivered as professional legal services through a tiered team structure spanning Directors, Managing Consultants, Special Counsel, Senior Solicitors, Associates, Senior Legal Executives, Law Clerks, and Legal Assistants. The firm publishes regular thought-leadership articles and maintains a LinkedIn and Facebook presence alongside its main website.

McCaw Lewis operates a pure professional services billing model, charging hourly rates that range from NZD $150-$180 for Law Clerks and Executive Assistants up to NZD $450-$500 for Directors and Consultants. Interim invoices are issued monthly on ongoing matters, with a file administration fee of up to 5% applied to costs and 12% per annum interest on overdue accounts. The firm does not disclose revenue, has no outside investors, and distributes services directly through its two physical offices plus a website enquiry channel. No API, software product, or AI capability is associated with the firm.

Name

McCaw Lewis

Legal name

McCaw Lewis

Website

https://mccawlewis.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McCaw Lewis is a New Zealand law firm founded in 1919, operating from Hamilton and Te Kūiti. It delivers hourly-billed legal services across commercial, property, dispute resolution, asset planning, Māori land, Tiriti, and workplace law to Waikato and national clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Commercial legal services
• Property law services
• Dispute resolution law
• Asset planning law
• Māori land law

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: McCaw Lewis provides legal services billed primarily on hourly rates. The firm employs a team structure where work is assessed for the most cost-effective approach, and multiple personnel may work on a matter. Costs are generally based on time spent, charged at hourly rates appropriate to the role level. Interim invoices may be sent monthly for ongoing work, with final invoices upon matter completion. A file administration fee of up to 5% of costs may be charged, and interest accrues at 12% per annum on unpaid invoices.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

McCaw Lewis is a Waikato-based law firm providing professional legal services across eight practice areas: Commercial Law, Property Law, Dispute Resolution, Asset Planning, Māori Land Law, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Workplace Law, and Environment & Resource Management. Services are billed primarily on hourly rates, with multiple personnel often collaborating on matters and costs guided by the seniority of the role assigned. The firm serves individuals, whānau, businesses, iwi, hapū, trusts and charities across the Waikato region and broader New Zealand.

Product overview

McCaw Lewis is a law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal services rather than a software product platform. Their service offerings span Commercial Law, Property Law, Dispute Resolution, Asset Planning, Māori Land Law, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Workplace Law, and Environment & Resource Management. These legal service areas work together to provide comprehensive support to individuals, whānau, businesses, iwi, hapū, trusts, and charities throughout Waikato and New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Law Services Practical, strategic legal advice for start-ups, family businesses and established corporates across Waikato and New Zealand, covering contracts, governance, mergers and acquisitions, business structuring, shareholders agreements and limited partnerships, with tailored advice for Māori organisations and pakihi Māori.
• Property Law Services Expert legal support across residential, commercial and rural property transactions, leasing, subdivisions, development projects, ETS registered land and body corporate matters, for individuals, whānau, businesses, developers and investors.
• Dispute Resolution Services Clear, strategic advice and advocacy across commercial and property disputes, relationship property, and trust and estate disputes, delivered through negotiation, alternative dispute resolution, tribunals or the courts.
• Asset Planning Services Trusted legal advice to help individuals and whānau protect assets and plan for the future, covering trusts, relationship property, estate administration and retirement living.
• Māori Land Law Services Legal support for Māori land owners, whānau, hapū and iwi to achieve their whenua objectives and aspirations, including trust administration and customary marine title matters.
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi Services Legal assistance for iwi, hapū and whānau on all matters relating to te Tiriti o Waitangi, incorporating tikanga and contextual considerations into legal and strategic advice.
• Workplace Law Services Employment law advice covering employment agreements, contractor vs employee classification, disciplinary matters, workplace investigations, suspensions, restrains of trade and personal grievances for employers and employees.
• Environment & Resource Management Services Legal guidance on resource management, Te Tiriti and tangata whenua matters, strategically guiding clients through development or consenting projects across public and private sector needs.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bell Gully: One of New Zealand's largest full-service law firms with extensive commercial, M&A, and dispute resolution capabilities. A larger incumbent that competes for sophisticated commercial work but does not focus on McCaw Lewis's regional Waikato/Māori niche.
• Buddle Findlay: Major New Zealand law firm with national commercial, property, employment, and public law capabilities. A broad incumbent competing for the upper end of mandates that exceed McCaw Lewis's capacity.
• Duncan Cotterill: Multi-office New Zealand law firm of somewhat larger scale than McCaw Lewis, with comparable practice areas across commercial, property, and employment. A broader incumbent competing in the regional mid-market.
• Chapman Tripp: Top-tier New Zealand commercial law firm with a national footprint and deep M&A, finance, and dispute resolution practices. A broad incumbent that competes for institutional mandates.

Direct peers

• Tompkins Wake: Hamilton-based full-service New Zealand law firm of comparable size and regional Waikato focus, with overlapping practice areas including commercial, property, employment, and resource management. Direct head-to-head competitor for the same Waikato client base.
• Anderson Lloyd: Dunedin-based full-service New Zealand law firm serving the lower South Island. Comparable size, full-service practice mix, and regional full-service positioning, with strong government and resource management practices.
• Webb Ross: Hamilton-based Waikato law firm offering commercial, property, and family law services. Direct regional competitor for clients in the same Hamilton and wider Waikato catchment.
• Lane Neave: Christchurch-based New Zealand mid-tier law firm with comparable practice mix in commercial, property, employment, and dispute resolution. Comparable in scale and regional full-service positioning.
• Holland Beckett: Tauranga-based regional New Zealand law firm offering comparable full-service practice mix across commercial, property, employment, and dispute resolution. Comparable in size, regional focus, and multi-office regional model.
• Norris Ward McKinnon: Hamilton-headquartered New Zealand law firm of comparable size with broad commercial, property, employment, and dispute resolution capabilities. Direct competitor in the Waikato regional market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/McCawLewis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mccaw-lewis-lawyers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 McCaw Lewis