We are excited to announce the appointment of Julia Flattery and Katherine Forward to our partnership, continuing a period of strong growth across the business and expansion of our senior teams.
The two senior appointments bring the total number of partners at Duncan Cotterill to 45, following the lateral hire of immigration partner Nicola Tiffen and litigation partner Tanya Wood earlier this year.
Resource management law specialist Katherine joined Duncan Cotterill in 2011. Since then, she has supported rural and urban clients across the country on land use development proposals, nutrient management issues, community infrastructure projects, including wastewater management, urban planning and rezoning, policy and plan development, and environmental risk mitigation.
“I have a passion for helping my clients to navigate increasing environmental regulation, and to provide practical and commercial solutions to environmental challenges. New Zealand’s response to climate change, the Three Waters and RMA reforms underway and new national policy direction for urban development and freshwater management are key focus areas moving forward. I’m really excited for the next chapter at Duncan Cotterill, supporting our clients to grow their businesses, and create the best outcomes for them and their communities” Katherine said.
Fellow new partner Julia Flattery joined the Christchurch practice from the UK in 2017, with more than 15 years’ experience in construction and property law. As well as supporting clients to manage projects, from housebuilding to Public-Private Partnerships, she is active in a range of industry bodies including the Women in Infrastructure Network, National Association of Women in Construction and the Society of Construction Law. She is currently advising MainPower on the Mt Cass Wind Farm project.
Julia also regularly conducts seminars and provides articles to various industry organisations such as the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors and Legalwise on relevant issues and participated in a recent think-tank on the next phase of the Construction Sector Accord, to promote broader engagement across the private sector.
“I particularly like the construction sector because you can see the results of your work every day and every project is different. At Duncan Cotterill, we’re also extremely fortunate to have a team of construction specialists. That means while I can focus on my areas of expertise, such as helping clients set up the right conditions for their projects, managing the tender process or doing risk analyses, there’s a whole team to call on for every single part of the construction process, including managing disputes – it’s so unusual to have that level of specialist expertise in one place,” she said.
Jonathan Scragg, Chair of Duncan Cotterill, said the firm is continuing to build specialist expertise for our clients and both Katherine and Julia’s appointments support the firm’s ongoing strategy.
“I’d like to congratulate Katherine and Julia on their success. Throughout a time of enormous change and uncertainty, they’ve both provided outstanding support and guidance to the firm’s clients and built real trust with them. That trust is the reason we continue to grow and succeed as a firm, and that deserves every recognition. We are delighted with Katherine and Julia’s appointment to the partnership.” Jonathan said.
