The founding partner of a new specialist insolvency firm talks exclusively to NZ Lawyer
Having officially launched in November, Brent Norling said he’s quietly optimistic about the success of his specialist insolvency firm.
Adamant that he’s responding to a changing legal market, Norling said the specialist firm fills a gap in the legal market and will even look to fix fees, which he said is virtually unheard of in the litigation space.
“There are not many law firms that are prepared to fix fee in the area of litigation because of the uncertainties that go with it,” Norling told NZ Lawyer.
Norling, whose career has developed in smaller practices, believes that clients are becoming more flexible, leaving the market open to smaller and more competitive practices.
“Being small gives me the flexibility, particularly because litigation is expensive and I think it’s no surprise to the legal industry, things are changing; clients are more mobile than they used to be,” he said.
“Traditionally, you would have a family lawyer who was your father’s lawyer and your grandfather’s lawyer and you’d go to that firm and you wouldn’t go anywhere else.
“Now, clients are very mobile, they shop around – they are shopping around for the best service and they are shopping around for the best price.”
Norling Law, based in Auckland, will look to tap into the small and medium sized firm space, where firms don’t have specialist litigators on hand.
“Since establishing, I’ve been able to help other law firms, so far just in Auckland, who have clients with insolvency issues but don’t have any insolvency specialists on payroll to deal with those areas,” Norling said.
“I’m looking to service external clients but also to try and use my specialty to help other law firms help their clients where they don’t have that specialist capability.”
