Headquarters:
Manukau, Auckland
Year founded:
2014
Number of employees:
4 partners and 48 permanent staff (3 casual on as-required basis)
Phone:
09 9856900
Email:
law@denhambramwell.co.nz
Website:
denhambramwell.co.nz
LinkedIn:
nz.linkedin.com/company/denham-bramwell
“We have a relatively traditional benefits program, but it’s a very generous program that’s intended to fulfil the needs of all of our employees and their families”
Diana Godfrey,
Fidelity Canada
DENHAM BRAMWELL LAWYERS
Brett Abraham
Partner
Fiona Cowan
Partner
Sarah Vyle
Partner
Leadership
Brett is a founding partner of the firm, a well-trusted advisor and leader of the Property and Commercial Law team. He has extensive experience in general property, commercial and private client work. Brett is a well-established practitioner associated with a number of community-based organisations. He works closely with his team to achieve the best results for clients.
Partner
Brett Abraham
Fiona is a founding partner of Denham Bramwell, and joint leader of its Family Law team. Her career has given her vast experience in different aspects of the law. She has extensive expertise in family law and relationship property, and as a children’s rights advocate. Fiona is an accomplished and committed lawyer and leader. Although hardworking, she finds a balance between work and life and encourages her colleagues to do so as well.
Partner
Fiona Cowan
Sarah is a founding partner of Denham Bramwell and jointly leads the Relationship Property and Family Law team. She specialises in relationship and trust property as well as all aspects of family law. Once again in 2022, Sarah’s expertise and skills were recognised through inclusion in Doyle’s Guide as one of New Zealand’s leading family and relationship property lawyers. Well-known and respected within the family justice system, Sarah is regularly appointed to represent children in Family Court proceedings.
Partner
Sarah Vyle
“We have a relatively traditional benefits program, but it’s a very generous program that’s intended to fulfil the needs of all of our employees and their families”
Diana Godfrey,
Fidelity Canada
“From an HR perspective, mental health and wellbeing is still top of mind for us … To build awareness and eliminate the stigma, Fidelity has been involved with CAMH and has hosted training for our employees for years”
Diana Godfrey,
Fidelity Canada
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“From an HR perspective, mental health and wellbeing is still top of mind for us … To build awareness and eliminate the stigma, Fidelity has been involved with CAMH and has hosted training for our employees for years”
Diana Godfrey,
Fidelity Canada
“We have a relatively traditional benefits program, but it’s a very generous program that’s intended to fulfil the needs of all of our employees and their families”
Diana Godfrey,
Fidelity
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Nola McGowan
Partner
Nola became a partner at Denham Bramwell in April 2021 following the Vlatkovich & McGowan merger. She is a dedicated and experienced lawyer who is focused on clients’ needs and is easy to deal with. Her general practice serves both personal and commercial clients. After working in a couple of Queen Street firms, Nola went on to set up a legal practice in her hometown of Whangaparaoa in 1984 and now leads the office team in this area. A trailblazer for young women in the legal profession, she was the youngest female sole practitioner at the time. Nola is passionate about law practice and responding to clients’ concerns.
Partner
Nola McGowan
Devika Kumar
General Manager
Devika has extensive leadership experience in law firms, bringing a wealth of industry knowledge to her role as general manager. She has a broad skillset with expertise in people and culture, finance, strategic planning, business development, information technology and project management. Devika works closely with the Denham Bramwell’s partners on strategy and business management. She is passionate about the evolving legal landscape and thrives on leading change and building a diverse high-performing team.
General Manager
Devika Kumar
Founded in 2014, Auckland-based law firm Denham Bramwell has quickly established itself as a go-to practice for clients in the local community. Sitting across two offices in Manukau and Whangaparaoa, the team has a deep passion for using its legal talents to support the community in difficult and complex matters.
The firm’s areas of specialty include property law, family law, estates, wills and trusts, dispute resolution, and commercial and business matters. In 2021, the firm expanded its team through a merger with fellow law firm Vlatkovich & McGowan, and Devika Kumar joined the team as general manager.
Denham Bramwell has been named a 2022 Fast Firm by NZ Lawyer, and Kumar says its rapid growth has been due to its strong leadership, a relentless focus on client care, and a thriving team culture.
“Clients come to us for a range of reasons, and often during difficult times. That might be for advice when a relationship ends, to further their aspirations, or perhaps to purchase a property. Whatever the brief, our team has the empathy and professionalism to put our clients at ease and achieve the best outcomes possible," she says.
“Our team culture is strong, with humility and kindness at the heart of everything we do. It filters from the top down and sustains the firm’s growth.”
Denham Bramwell’s strong and diverse team is headed by four partners, all of whom focus on bringing empathy, compassion and professionalism into every aspect of their work. The firm is particularly proud of its approach to diversity and inclusion, and to fostering a healthy work environment for every team member, particularly for those returning after parental leave.
“Our recruitment strategy favours diversity and inclusion. We have also created a supportive environment for parents returning to their legal careers after a career break. This includes a comfortable room for expressing milk or feeding babies, and flexible working hours to enable our people to care for their families first," Kumar says.
“Working from home has become more widespread since the pandemic, but flexibility has always been part of our ethos.”
Denham Bramwell’s people-first strategy has set it apart from traditional corporate law firms, and has allowed it to approach all of its legal work with a unique level of compassion, sensitivity and cultural understanding.
Looking ahead to the coming years, this strategy is only set to strengthen. The firm sadly saw the recent loss of a founding partner, but Kumar says that his legacy continues to “inspire and encourage the team to move forward” and provide the excellent level of legal service that the firm has become known for.
Kumar says her new role as general manager has also signalled that Denham Bramwell is “serious about growth,” and strategic growth plans are already in place which align with the firm’s diverse, inclusive and compassionate culture.
“We intend to continue building our brand reputation and growing organically,” she says.
“We are not a traditional corporate law firm but a community of like-minded professionals with mutual respect for each other, and are continuously working towards making our firm a great place to work.”
“From an HR perspective, mental health and wellbeing is still top of mind for us … To build awareness and eliminate the stigma, Fidelity has been involved with CAMH and has hosted training for our employees for years”
Diana Godfrey,
Fidelity Canada
Heather Richardson
Partner
Denise Wightman
Partner
Peter Lettieri
Partner
Kimi Shah
Partner
Heather is a highly experienced, commercially focused lawyer who practices in dispute resolution and commercial litigation and leads a growing employment law practice.
A long-term member of the Kalus Kenny Intelex team, she has vast experience in many areas of commercial litigation and administrative law, particularly on employment law and complex commercial litigation, director and shareholder disputes, shareholder oppression, contract disputes and intellectual property matters. Heather’s focus is to address issues as early as possible through alternative dispute resolution.
Partner
Heather Richardson
Denise’s practice focuses on corporate and commercial matters including joint venture and shareholder agreements, complex structuring advice, finance and general commercial contracts. Acting for a range of clients, predominantly privately held businesses and high-net-worth individuals, Denise brings a highly technical and commercial approach to each matter and, as a result, has been instrumental in helping clients to establish, grow, protect and sell their businesses.
As a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law, she provides clients with enormous value and insight into complex commercial matters.
Partner
Denise Wightman
Peter advises clients on a wide variety of commercial disputes, with a particular focus on building and construction, shareholder and contract disputes. He works closely with developers, builders, other building professionals, directors and shareholders, as well as private clients from a range of industries to resolve their disputes through litigious and non-litigious means, including alternative dispute resolution processes and strategic negotiation.
Partner
Peter Lettieri
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
Heather Richardson
Partner
Kimi Shah
Partner
Peter Lettieri
Partner
Denise Wightman
Partner
Heather is a highly experienced, commercially focused lawyer who practices in dispute resolution and commercial litigation and leads a growing employment law practice.
A long-term member of the Kalus Kenny Intelex team, she has vast experience in many areas of commercial litigation and administrative law, particularly on employment law and complex commercial litigation, director and shareholder disputes, shareholder oppression, contract disputes and intellectual property matters. Heather’s focus is to address issues as early as possible through alternative dispute resolution.
Partner
Heather Richardson
Denise’s practice focuses on corporate and commercial matters including joint venture and shareholder agreements, complex structuring advice, finance and general commercial contracts. Acting for a range of clients, predominantly privately held businesses and high-net-worth individuals, Denise brings a highly technical and commercial approach to each matter and, as a result, has been instrumental in helping clients to establish, grow, protect and sell their businesses.
As a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law, she provides clients with enormous value and insight into complex commercial matters.
Partner
Denise Wightman
Peter advises clients on a wide variety of commercial disputes, with a particular focus on building and construction, shareholder and contract disputes. He works closely with developers, builders, other building professionals, directors and shareholders, as well as private clients from a range of industries to resolve their disputes through litigious and non-litigious means, including alternative dispute resolution processes and strategic negotiation.
Partner
Peter Lettieri
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
Heather Richardson
Partner
Peter Lettieri
Partner
Denise Wightman
Partner
Kimi Shah
Partner
Heather is a highly experienced, commercially focused lawyer who practices in dispute resolution and commercial litigation and leads a growing employment law practice.
A long-term member of the Kalus Kenny Intelex team, she has vast experience in many areas of commercial litigation and administrative law, particularly on employment law and complex commercial litigation, director and shareholder disputes, shareholder oppression, contract disputes and intellectual property matters. Heather’s focus is to address issues as early as possible through alternative dispute resolution.
Partner
Heather Richardson
Denise’s practice focuses on corporate and commercial matters including joint venture and shareholder agreements, complex structuring advice, finance and general commercial contracts. Acting for a range of clients, predominantly privately held businesses and high-net-worth individuals, Denise brings a highly technical and commercial approach to each matter and, as a result, has been instrumental in helping clients to establish, grow, protect and sell their businesses.
As a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law, she provides clients with enormous value and insight into complex commercial matters.
Partner
Denise Wightman
Peter advises clients on a wide variety of commercial disputes, with a particular focus on building and construction, shareholder and contract disputes. He works closely with developers, builders, other building professionals, directors and shareholders, as well as private clients from a range of industries to resolve their disputes through litigious and non-litigious means, including alternative dispute resolution processes and strategic negotiation.
Partner
Peter Lettieri
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
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
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Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Damian Palovick
Senior Vice President of Underwriting
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Dr. Mary Lavoie
Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Mark Bernacki
Chief Underwriting Officer
Ryan Armijo
Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division
Bob Petrilli
President, Underwriting Division
“We view the law differently through our collective experiences. We have expertise in wide-ranging sectors that enable us to offer outstanding commercial, property and dispute resolution advice as well as acting for families with family law, estate planning and generational wealth protection,” Burchartz explains.
The lawyers at KKI offer considerable commercial and legal experience in many industry sectors, including building and construction, real estate, motorsport, business and private advisory, and professional services. In commercial law, KKI advises on asset protection and risk management; business structuring; succession and transactions; commercial agreements and contracts; corporate governance; business mergers; sale and purchases; trusts; and navigating commercial, consumer and privacy law.
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