The fast-growing firm now has three women partners out of its seven
K3 Legal has boosted its family law team with the appointment of barrister and solicitor Toni Brown as director.
Brown moved to K3 Legal from Toni Brown Law, her own firm in Tauranga that specialised in family and trust law. She became the third woman partner of the fast-growing firm’s seven-member partnership as it continues its commitment to gender equality and diversity.
Brown was originally from Opotoki and schooled in Whakatane. She moved to Dunedin in 1989 and spent the next 20 years in Otago before returning to the North Island. She joined the independent bar in 2009 and launched Toni Brown Law in 2013.
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Brown said that she is most proud of three cases she has handled. She acted as counsel for the Voluntary Euthanasia Society in the case of Lecretia Seales, a lawyer who challenged the government for her right to die after a terminal diagnosis. She was also the lawyer of a dying child in a case to determine who had the rights to make decisions about the child’s body. She also acted on a Bill of Rights case involving children under 10 who wanted to practice their Jehovah’s Witness religion despite conflict between their parents.
“I’m very interested in these sorts of cases and they make up about 30% of the work I do, with the other 70% being major relationship property cases, often involving trusts and companies,” Brown said.
Mark Kirkland, K3 Legal founder, said that he has known Brown, who he says will be a major asset to the team, for a long time.
“She has a very impressive track record,” he said.
K3 Legal said that it has experienced solid growth in the past year, with client numbers dramatically increasing. The firm rebranded when it expanded its services to accounting and consulting and it also moved into newly-renovated offices in Albert Street opposite the Auckland District Court.
“We’ve also promoted Kerry Puddle to senior associate and taken on six other new staff to handle the increase in business,” Kirkland said.
K3 Legal is a finalist in the 2018 New Zealand Law Awards for Boutique Law Firm of the Year and Litigation and Dispute Resolution Specialist Firm of the Year. It is listed as a leading firm by Doyle’s Guide and is recommended for restructuring and insolvency, as well as dispute resolution and litigation, by AsiaLaw.
Toni Brown