About Willis
Ngā pāronga ō Willis
Welcome to Willis Legal: Your Trusted Partner in Law
We’re a progressive and modern law firm located in Te Matau-a-Maui. We are proud to serve the vibrant communities of Napier, Hastings, and beyond. With a legacy spanning over 135 years, we have built a solid reputation for delivering trusted and expert legal advice.
Our Expertise
At Willis Legal, we specialise in a wide range of legal services to meet your needs:
- Property: From buying and selling property to managing leases and developments, our property team is here to guide you through every step of the process.
- Commercial: Our commercial law experts provide tailored advice to help businesses thrive, whether you're starting a new venture or managing a complex corporate transaction.
- Dispute Resolution: We offer strategic and effective solutions to resolve disputes efficiently, ensuring the best possible outcome for our clients.
- Asset Protection: Protect your assets with our comprehensive legal strategies, designed to safeguard your wealth and secure your future.
- Family Law: We handle all aspects of family law, including relationship property, care of children, and family violence matters.
- Employment Law: Our team provides expert advice on employment agreements, disputes, and compliance with employment laws.
- Trusts and Estates: We assist with the creation and management of trusts, wills, and estate planning to ensure your wishes are carried out.
Why choose Willis Legal?
Choosing a lawyer or law firm can be daunting, but at Willis Legal, we make the legal process as simple and straightforward as possible. Our friendly team, based in both Napier and Hastings, goes out of their way to ensure you feel comfortable and informed every step of the way.
Our Legacy
With over 135 years of history, Willis Legal has evolved through mergers with local Hawke’s Bay firms, including Scannell Hardy & Co, Donkin Lloyd (Napier Law), and Taradale Law. Our firm celebrated its centenary in 1989, marking a century of dedicated service to the Hawke’s Bay community.
Willis is family
He whānau a Willis
We are immensely proud of our Willis Legal family and heritage. Many of our team members have family ties to the firm, with Lawrie Willis representing the third generation of his family practicing law here. Mark Goodson continues the legacy of his father, a former partner at the firm who sadly passed away in 1993.
Our firm has also produced distinguished judges, including three High Court Judges (Justice Woodhouse, Justice Gallen, and Justice Chisholm) and one District Court Judge (Judge Neal).
Join the Willis Legal Family
At Willis Legal, we are more than just a law firm – we are whanau, committed to providing you with exceptional legal services. Whether you need advice on property, commercial law, dispute resolution, asset protection, family law, employment law, or trusts and estates, we are here to help.
Law Alliance New Zealand
Willis Legal is a member of Law Alliance New Zealand (LANZ), an association of over 30 law firms from around New Zealand. This association gives our team access to a large knowledge base and nationwide network of professional support. Willis Legal was a founding member of LANZ.
"I’ve been working with the team at Willis Legal since the mid-70s, and I think the fact I’m still with them says a lot. I’ve gone to them over the years for help with buying and selling homes and general family matters.
What I’ve always appreciated is that they work with me, not just for me. They don’t talk down to you or throw legal jargon around - they speak in a way that makes sense. They’re real, normal people who treat you with respect.
I’ve worked with Kevin and more recently also with Trista, and both have been awesome. But honestly, it’s the whole team. From the moment you walk in and are greeted at reception, everyone is friendly and easy to deal with. They work well together and make the whole process smooth.
I always recommend Willis Legal to friends looking for trustworthy advice. They’ve looked after me for a long time, and I’m happy to keep going back."
"I have worked with Trista at Willis Legal for several conveyancing matters, and I have always been happy with the experience. Trista is efficient—she has all the paperwork ready to go, and when we come in for our meetings, everything is prepared and organised, making the entire process smooth, efficient and stress-free.
Even though Trista is clearly very busy, she is always responsive and does everything she said she will do within the very tight time frames involved in conveyances. Trista gives accurate advice and outlines the options clearly and is always genuinely happy to help.
I have already recommended Trista and Willis Legal to friends and family, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use their services again. The service is not only thorough but also cost-effective.”
"We recently had an urgent family matter to deal with. By using Willis Legal, this was carried out efficiently and promptly with no issues.
We were impressed with the timing, the follow-up of correspondence, the empathy of the staff and the conclusion of the matters dealt with.
I am sure there will be other legal items to be dealt with in future, and we will not hesitate to engage with Willis Legal again."
“I first met Sarah when she helped my husband and I with our first mortgage. Our relationship has only grown since then. In 2020, I started my online business, Waiapu Road, and in 2022 Sarah was there to negotiate my first commercial warehouse lease. She is my go-to solicitor for all of my legal business needs and advice. Recently I have opened a pop-up store on Karamu Road North, so we are basically neighbours now!
Sarah always bats for me, breaking down the legal lingo and ensuring I understand what I'm signing. She is kind, trustworthy, and genuinely has my best interests at heart.
Sarah is a legal warrior queen. | He wahine toa a Sarah.”
"Lawrie Willis from Willis Legal's job is to take care of me, my family, and my businesses.
He has been taking care of my multiple businesses since moving to Hawke's Bay 15 years ago.
I have many businesses up and down the country, and Lawrie and his team handle everything required to help me manage them all - it seems like we talk every week! He is just fantastic and has been a huge support for me for all these years.
His dedication and support are truly amazing – he has my back! Both Lawrie and the wider Willis Legal team work with my family so well, I can’t see my children moving to another law firm when I retire."
"Casey, just want to say a massive thank you for all your hard work and support throughout our first home buying process! You made it very easy for us and made sure we reached settlement on time. We really appreciate all your help. Thank you!"
"Great people to deal with very friendly, put you at ease and explain things in proper speak not legal jargon, which helps you understand better."
"A huge thank you to Sarah Beckett who has been helping me work through a complex property purchase agreement. She has been thorough throughout the whole process, ensuring I was aware of all the outcomes and has constantly had my best interests at heart. Thank you for all your time and effort and I look forward to working with you further in the future."
"Sarah Beckett has coached my partner and I through the purchase of our first home. Sarah has been thorough and clear in her assistance and we couldn't have done it without her help. We look forward to working with Sarah in the future with our business and highly recommend anyone looking for legal advice to engage with Sarah. Thanks Willis Legal!"