Dundas Street Employment Lawyers

What Dundas Street Employment Lawyers does

Dundas Street Employment Lawyers is a New Zealand specialist employment law firm founded in April 2013 in Wellington by Susan Hornsby-Geluk and Blair Scotland, and now operating as Dundas Street Limited. The firm fields nine specialist employment lawyers supported by a general manager and office managers, making it one of the largest specialist employment practices in the country. Services span the full employment-law lifecycle for both employers and employees: advisory, litigation through the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), Employment Court and Court of Appeal, collective and multi-employer bargaining, performance management and disciplinary work, external investigations, restructuring, health and safety compliance, privacy and Holidays Act compliance, mediation, and a training/seminar business targeting HR professionals and in-house counsel.

The firm's business model is classic professional services: fee-earning hours, retainers for ongoing counsel work, and fee-based seminars and training. Commercial risk is concentrated in public-sector and large-institutional mandates — it acts for all 20 District Health Boards via shared services agency bargaining (covering 3,000-3,500 junior doctors), advised the Accident Compensation Corporation on a workforce change affecting 3,500 staff, represents the NZ Police Association, the Public Service Association, and Parliamentary Services, and continues to handle high-profile Chief Executive and governance-level matters. It also represents individual employees and select private-sector employers.

Distribution is partner-led direct engagement supplemented by thought leadership: the firm edits the Employment Law Bulletin, publishes regular insights, runs HRNZ co-branded courses (a 6+ year partnership with New Zealand's largest HR association), and has partners who write columns for Stuff/DominionPost. Reputation is a core asset — three-time winner of Specialist Employment Law Firm of the Year at the NZ Law Awards in five years, top tier at Legal 500, and Band 1 (Susan Hornsby-Geluk) and Band 2 firm recognition from Chambers and Partners. There is no disclosed proprietary technology platform, no funding structure, and no AI capability statement.

Name

Dundas Street Employment Lawyers

Legal name

Dundas Street Limited

Website

https://dundasstreet.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dundas Street Employment Lawyers is a Wellington-based specialist employment law firm with nine specialist lawyers serving New Zealand employers, employees, unions, and iwi organisations. It provides employment advisory, litigation, collective bargaining, investigations, health and safety, and training services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employment Law Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Employment law services
• Workplace relations advice
• Employment litigation
• HR legal consulting
• Specialist legal advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: The firm generates revenue through professional legal services including employment law advisory, litigation representation, mediation, investigations, collective bargaining support, and training seminars for clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dundas Street Employment Lawyers is a specialist employment law firm based in Wellington, New Zealand, with 9 specialist lawyers focused exclusively on employment law matters. Founded in 2013 and operating under the legal entity Dundas Street Limited, the firm provides dedicated legal services across the full spectrum of employment-related legal issues as a multi-award-winning boutique practice.

Product overview

Dundas Street Employment Lawyers is a specialist employment law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services. The firm provides employment law advice and representation for both employers and employees, centered around core legal services including collective bargaining, performance management, investigations, health and safety, and privacy compliance. The offering is organized as a unified legal practice with specialized service modules covering areas such as industrial relations, disciplinary processes, litigation, and professional training seminars. The firm serves diverse clients including public sector organizations, private companies, not-for-profit entities, and iwi/Māori organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employment Law Legal Services Specialist legal services in employment law, provided by 9 dedicated specialist lawyers based in Wellington, New Zealand. The service covers the full range of employment-related legal matters and is targeted at clients requiring dedicated employment law expertise rather than general legal practice.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully defended dismissal challenge for NDHB resulting in minimal $3,600 remedy - first decision of its kind in NZ employment law
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HRNZ (Human Resources New Zealand)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDundas Street has a long-standing relationship with HRNZ, the largest association of HR professionals in New Zealand. The firm and HRNZ have partnered to present Employment Law courses for the last six years, positioning Dundas Street as a thought leader in the HR community.
• Nikau FoundationminorOthersSusan Hornsby-Geluk is a board member of the Nikau Foundation, a unique charitable trust that receives donations and bequests, administering and distributing them for the benefit of the Wellington region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Meredith Connell: Auckland-based NZ law firm with strong public sector practice and employment law capabilities. Comparable for government and public sector employment work, particularly Auckland-based institutional clients.
• Simpson Grierson: Major NZ full-service law firm with established employment and industrial relations practice. Comparable for public sector collective bargaining and employment litigation work, though operates at broader corporate scale.
• Bell Gully: Premier NZ full-service law firm with a leading employment law team ranked by Chambers and Legal 500. Competes for the same high-profile public sector and corporate employment mandates, though offers a much broader practice portfolio.
• MinterEllisonRuddWatts: NZ firm affiliated with global MinterEllison network, with employment and industrial relations practice. Competes for corporate employment matters and has capacity advantages through international network.
• Duncan Cotterill: National NZ law firm with employment law capability and significant public sector client base. Competes for similar government and corporate employment mandates across multiple NZ regions.
• Chapman Tripp: Leading NZ full-service firm with employment law capability serving corporate and government clients. Competes for major NZ employment mandates but differentiates through much broader transactional and dispute resolution practice.
• Buddle Findlay: One of New Zealand's largest full-service law firms with a strong employment law practice serving public and private sector clients. Comparable as a direct competitor for large NZ employment mandates, though operating at significantly greater scale and breadth.

Direct peers

• Anderson Lloyd: NZ firm with strong specialist employment law practice particularly in the South Island. Closest comparable in scale and specialisation focus, though Anderson Lloyd maintains a broader regional practice including Christchurch.
• Lane Neave: Christchurch-headquartered NZ firm with established employment law practice serving Canterbury and national clients. Comparable as a regional NZ firm with specialist employment capability and public sector exposure.
• Ford Sumner: Boutique NZ firm with employment, health and safety, and immigration practice. Closest direct competitor in specialist boutique positioning, though smaller in scale and lacking Dundas Street's tier-1 rankings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dundas_street
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dundas-street

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Dundas Street Employment Lawyers