Headquarters:

Hamilton

Year founded:

1919

Number of employees:

Phone:

07 834 6000

Email:

lawyers@nwm.co.nz

Website:

nwm.co.nz

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/norris-ward-mckinnon

“What drives our success is our results-driven people. Capable, entrepreneurial Rohitians are the driving force behind our growth”,

Masa Idelbi, Manager - Human Resources

Sam Hood

Managing Partner

Carmen Simmonds

General Manager

Phil Harris

Director

Leadership

Sam Hood is NWM’s managing partner, currently leading the firm on a planned growth trajectory. He is a proud champion for the firm’s focus on culture and makes the wellbeing of staff a priority. He specialises in civil litigation and employment law and has appeared in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of New Zealand, as well as the High Court and Court of Appeal of the Cook Islands. Hood is on a number of professional and community boards.

Managing Partner

Sam Hood

Carmen Simmonds is NWM’s general manager, working closely with Sam Hood and partners to create and implement strategies that achieve the ideal blend of culture and growth the firm continuously aims for. She has particular skills and experience in people and culture, leadership, business strategy and operations, and communication. Simmonds is a member of the NZ Committee for the Australasian Legal Practice Management Association.

General Manager

Carmen Simmonds

Phil Harris has been with McCaw Lewis for almost 40 years and is an expert in all areas of commercial law. He has a wealth of knowledge not only in commercial and business law but also in general asset planning, where he assists clients with the overall structuring of their assets. He values strong client relationships and believes the importance of maintaining those relationships is essential to achieving optimum results.

Director

Phil Harris

“What drives our success is our results-driven people. Capable, entrepreneurial Rohitians are the driving force behind our growth”,

Masa Idelbi, Manager - Human Resources

“We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations”

Erica Kofie, QBE

Leadership

“We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations”

Erica Kofie, QBE

“What drives our success is our results-driven people. Capable, entrepreneurial Rohitians are the driving force behind our growth”,

Masa Idelbi, Manager - Human Resources

Leadership

Daniel Shore

Director

Daniel Shore has led McCaw Lewis’ dispute resolution team since he was appointed a director in 2013. He advises clients on a range of commercial and property disputes, as well as assisting them through trust, estate and relationship property disputes. With a strategic approach, he provides practical advice by understanding the client’s objectives and assessing risk to formulate strategies that lead to the best outcome. Shire chairs the McCaw Lewis Foundation, a registered charity that supports causes important to McCaw Lewis. He is also a board member of the Graeme Dingle Foundation.

Director

Daniel Shore

Laura Monahan

Director

Laura Monahan, appointed as a director in 2020, leads the firm’s commercial law practice. She has extensive knowledge of commercial matters and expertise in the Māori commercial and governance space. Monahan provides practical and accurate legal advice to help clients meet their business goals. She likes to get behind a client’s business and prides herself on keeping her methods simple. Outside of her legal work, she is on the boards of the Waikato Family Centre Trust, a service for whānau having difficulty with their babies, Angel Casts with Amanda, and the Waikato Diocesan School for Old Girls Association Committee.

Director

Laura Monahan

Norris Ward McKinnon (NWM) is a full-service law firm and significant Waikato business. The team at NVM is proud of its reputation and 103-year history. It is keenly focused on the future by providing a modern and efficient work environment to attract, develop and retain outstanding people. NWM puts culture at the heart of its strategic vision and aligns business decisions with it. People across the firm are offered opportunities to upskill and progress, to grow their competence and confidence, and ultimately succeed – in a way that is meaningful to each person and their individual goals. Integral to NVM’s cultural success are trust and transparency, with the company constantly sharing information about its business and each person’s influence and contribution to its operations. The firm gives regular feedback and recognition and ensures its senior staff are accessible and approachable. NVM’s focus on employees extends beyond professional development to the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of its team. Its leadership style as a firm is highly collaborative; it does not believe in layers of hierarchy. It encourages creativity and new ideas and encourages people to bring their whole selves to work, including their families, culture, beliefs and interests, alongside their professional lives at NWM.

“We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations”

Erica Kofie, QBE

Dale Thomas

Director

Amanda Hockley

Director

Chris Bounos

Underwriting Manager – Professional Risks

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Dale Thomas was appointed a director in 2020 and leads the firm’s property practice. He has a broad range of skills across the property, commercial and asset planning areas on projects involving subdivision and development, farm succession, syndication, leasehold issues and iwi property interests. He believes in setting goals and achieving them by working closely with clients as part of a team. He is a member of the Property Law Section of the NZ Law Society.

Director

Dale Thomas

Amanda Hockley was appointed a director of the firm in 2020. She leads the asset planning team, providing practical legal advice to clients and their families in often difficult circumstances. She advises private clients and their various entities on the structuring of their assets and works with other advisors to develop solutions that bring the clients’ desired results. Hockley believes in giving back to the community and has significant knowledge of charitable trusts, including in her role as a trustee of ConneXu, a disability support service, and Angel Casts, which supports whānau through child loss by creating keepsakes for bereaved parents.

Director

Amanda Hockley

Chris Bounos is the professional risks underwriting manager at Pen. He has been with the company since 2016. Bounos has been underwriting PI for 16 years, having worked at Dual, Allianz and Quanta. The professional risks team specialises in excess loss, professional indemnity and cyber. The PI focus is mostly on the construction and engineering sectors for medium-sized and smaller corporate accounts, as well as lawyers and other miscellaneous professions. The company’s cyber facility has a very broad appetite and can accommodate risks up to $450m in turnover. The professional risks team prides itself on service, technical knowledge and a solution-driven attitude for their broking partners.

Underwriting Manager – Professional Risks

Chris Bounos

Kimi Shah leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic, and tailored to each situation.

Partner

Kimi Shah

Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.

Partner

Kimi Shah

Partner

Kimi Shah

“Despite the challenging claims environment, QBE’s coverage and risk appetite have remained consistent. Brokers and customers know and understand our risk appetite and the cover we offer, providing them with certainty for the future,” says Erica Kofie, head of cyber proposition. “We put our customers at the centre of our business, responding to brokers in a proactive and timely manner and working with the customer to understand their unique risk profile and tailor appropriate solutions.” Kofie adds, “Through 2022, QBE successfully delivered significant growth in the cyber sector, reflecting the depth and strength of our team. We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations.”

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Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

Medal

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

The Rohit Group acknowledges the importance of mental health awareness and supports all its employees and their families by offering a Customized Mental Health Program with regular Mental Health Workshops to all Rohitians. The program covers up to $2,500 per employee for additional psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health specialists, marriage counsellors, and more. The company also collaborates with its psychologist partner to cover the cost of all confidential counselling sessions for staff and their family members. Under Rohit University, the company introduced customized mental health workshops where every employee can learn about mental health, proactively address mental health issues on personal and professional levels and become more resilient. Over the past two years, the Rohit Group celebrates Mental Health Awareness Week in Canada (May 1-7) by having a townhall to discuss the year’s theme. With emphasis on living a culture of continuous learning and development, Rohit University is launched by the Human Resources team to address the drive for growth. It offers a variety of different technical and interpersonal courses to address the needs of Rohit’s growing business. Rohit University’s Leadership Development Program is the first program launched in November 2022 in collaboration with University of Alberta’s Executive Education Program. Since launching, Rohit University has provided meaningful learning experiences for 40 people leaders on Emotional Intelligence (learning about self), how to manage others (different personality), financial and strategic management, and being comfortable with discomfort (decision making). To build on its exceptional employee learning programs, the Rohit Group regularly partners with other organizations to provide Rohitians with a variety of courses on problem solving in home building, construction and condo fundamentals, stress management, and work-life balance to mention few.