Thomson Wilson Law - Regent

Expert advice

Excellent food, excellent service

Always friendly and professional

Very helpful regarding legal issues with sorting out a will. Friendly people

Conflict of interest in this firm

In 2016 I was in need of legal representation, I engaged 16 lawyers who could not help me with my legal matter. They had all turned me down (or away) due to perceived conflicts of interest, not specialised in that particular area of law, or they just did not get back to me. Thomson Wilson Law was number 17, and I have been represented at various times and counselled, particularly by partner Mr. Peter Magee since. Family Law is a minefield to say the least and the emotional toll it takes on a person trying to serve the interests of a vulnerable person is intense and relentless. Some of the wisest counsel I ever received from him was "There comes a point where you have to draw a line and move forward". That advice has become my mantra and applies to so many areas of life, legal matters aside. For the times that I was legally represented in the Court, I had total confidence in Counsel and the level of respect that he gives to his house, and that of the Court. It never ceased to amaze me, his ability to filter through all the noise, to ensure my views and position were relayed correctly to the Court. More importantly, when I could not find the words to articulate my position, he was able to do it with great respect and succinctly. I can certainly speak from experience that in choosing this law firm, I have had the benefit of a powerful advocate in the Court, robust Counsel and well articulated documents. The price is what it is, and if you want the best, you have to be prepared to pay for it. ~HA~

Highly recommended. Professional, prompt and worth every cent. Anna Patterson, Helen Kaimarama and their team were amazing!!

I inquired about their services and fees in May 2019 but to my surprise I received an invoice for this. When I queried the invoice I was met with rudeness from staff and accusations that I wanted free advice. Their website claims they will provide clear information about fees and terms before they start work but this was not the case for me, at no point did they tell me there will be a charge for a quote/first chat. I felt incredibly bullied as the partner was not willing to listen to my side of the story and said whatever he could to try put me at fault, it was very unprofessional behaviour. Perhaps my age gave the impression I was an easy target seeing as I'm a young member of the public. I filed a complaint through the NZ Law Society as I did no wrong and it was evident the partner was not willing to treat this matter fairly as he mentioned he believes his colleague and not me - after much discussion I was told they are only willing to discount the fee. They were approached by a Legal Standards Officer in December 2019, who then told me on the basis I withdraw my complaint the firm will waive the invoice. Due to such an unpleasant experience here, I can't possibly be the first and it makes me wonder how many others had been taken advantaged of as they fail to apologise and recognise how they can better enforce the "Rules of conduct and client care for lawyers" EDIT: Unfortunately, their "politeness and respect" ended as soon as I asked about the invoice, from there on the attitude was appalling. They went ahead with internal procedures writing their own file notes and did checks when I had not engaged them, in which they then wanted to charge me almost $650 for. They could have told me their charges in advanced over the phone but insisted discussing in person. Slapping me with an engagement letter on the spot which does not need to be signed, not giving me the chance to read or process and instantly enforcing it just seems fishy and doesn't sit right. I was a potential customer wanting more info on their fees and services - I had no issues with other firms asking for a quote. Only after withdrawing my complaint did I get an email from the partner saying the fee has been waived. I'd suggest going elsewhere that is clear with communication and does not deal with concerns in a narcissistic manner. Save yourself the trouble.