Holland Beckett Promotes Three Partners

1 APRIL 2023 - Holland Beckett Law today announced the promotion to partnership of three of its associates, Joel Murphy, Jeremy Sparrow and Tim Conder effective from April 1st.

The Bay of Plenty wide law firm has offices in Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatāne with over 130 staff. The firm caters to a vast range of legal needs including property, commercial, trusts & estates, resource management, civil litigation, employment, and family law. Holland Beckett also has a specialised Māori Legal Unit.

David Fraundorfer, Partner at Holland Beckett Law said “While many provincial law firms are struggling with succession planning we are proud to say that our recruitment strategies of the past 10 years have produced the next generation of Holland Beckett Law leaders. They are true experts in their respective specialities, and we are thrilled to announce their promotion to partnership.”

Joel Murphy, Partner

Joel joined Holland Beckett in 2019 after returning from the United Kingdom, working as an in-house counsel for one of the world’s largest large scale solar developers. He has 12 years of legal experience and, prior to his experience in the United Kingdom, he worked at Meredith Connell in Auckland.

Joel advises clients on all aspects of property, including acquisitions and disposals, leasing, developments, financing, subdivisions and related transactions. He has particular expertise in solar farms, kiwifruit orchards and residential developments.

Joel is an advocate for the growth of the Bay of Plenty and is a committee member of the Central Regional Committee for Property Council New Zealand.

Outside of work Joel enjoys spending time with his young family, fishing, diving and playing touch rugby.

Jeremy Sparrow, Partner

Jeremy joined Holland Beckett as a graduate in January 2012, and has become the first law clerk to Partner of Holland Beckett Law.

Jeremy started in the wider litigation department, where he acted on some of the firm’s major cases including businesses affected by the Rena sinking. Jeremy then spent two years working as a lawyer in London. Upon his return to the Bay of Plenty, Jeremy has developed into a specialist employment lawyer. Jeremy has grown a substantial employment practice and continues to be sought after by clients for his effective and practical advice: this is from some of the firm’s biggest clients to the smallest.

Outside of the office, Jeremy is an avid tennis fan and a passionate traveller. Jeremy is also the President of Tauranga Musical Theatre, and spends most of time outside of work volunteering in this capacity. He is also the Honorary Solicitor for Musical Theatre New Zealand.

Tim Conder, Partner

Tim joined Holland Beckett in January 2016 after two years as a Judges’ Clerk in the Auckland High Court. Like Jeremy – Holland Beckett is the only firm that Tim has worked at while practicing as a lawyer.

Tim has driven the creation of a specialist public and local government team within the firm, that serves both local government and private clients who are involved in government related matters. Tim’s work has included assisting insurers and private clients defending regulatory charges in a range of settings (such as environmental offending, export offences and health and safety matters), as well as working for Council prosecutors and acting as an amicus curiae, to assist the Court during a challenging environmental trial. He has also appeared in the Court of Appeal on numerous occasions, on diverse issues such as Māori Land Trusts, Fair Trading Act cases and murder sentencing.

More broadly, Tim has been heavily involved in advising clients about regulatory compliance and engaging with central and local government. Throughout the changing landscape of Covid-19 restrictions, Tim was frequently called in at short notice to advise businesses on the way that new laws would impact their business and was involved in keeping essential projects for Tauranga’s development moving during periods of lockdown. He has also helped clients transition through changes to privacy and environmental law, while helping lobby on their behalf for well thought out legislation that will meet the policy objectives of central government while allowing businesses to thrive.

Tim’s practice is marked by his efforts to use his knowledge of the law and his creativity to achieve positive outcomes for clients. For Tim, success is about finding the best way through the law for individual clients – even if it means thinking outside the box.

© Scoop Media