Malley & Co Lawyers has been part of Canterbury's legal landscape for more than 125 years, tracing its beginnings to 1897 when solicitor Alfred (Alf) Malley began practising from a small office on the corner of Manchester and Cashel Streets. Today the firm works from Level 1 of The Regent at 33 Cathedral Square, having returned to the square in August 2024, twelve years after the 2011 earthquake damaged its original Cathedral Square building beyond repair.
The firm offers a broad range of legal services spanning both personal and commercial life: wills, estates and probate, trusts, powers of attorney, asset and succession planning, retirement village matters, residential, commercial and rural property, relationship property and family, business law, employment, and litigation and dispute resolution. Whether clients are buying a home, safeguarding assets, growing a business or resolving a dispute, the team provides guidance tailored to each situation.
What sets the firm apart, in its own words, is a partner-led way of working: small teams led by experienced partners who serve as the client's main point of contact and actively work on each matter. Clients choose Malley & Co for its reputation and stay, the firm says, because it genuinely cares about achieving the best outcomes for them — a blend of over a century of heritage and a modern, future-focused practice.
Few law firms can claim a history that runs alongside their city's for more than a century, but Malley & Co can. The firm traces its beginnings to 1897, when solicitor Alfred (Alf) Malley began practising law from a small office on the corner of Manchester and Cashel Streets. His sons Felix and Edmund joined the practice during the 1940s, and in 1947 the Canterbury District Law Society hosted a dinner celebrating Alf's fifty years in law.
The decades since have blended continuity with change. The firm moved into Cathedral Square offices in 1983, saw former partners elevated to the District Court bench on four separate occasions — Bill Brown, Garry Mahon, Brian Callaghan and, in 2020, Dominic Dravitzki — and marked its centenary in 1997 with the opening of a Hornby office. The February 2011 earthquake destroyed the Cathedral Square building beyond repair; after years in the suburbs, the firm was among the first to move back into the city in August 2012. In 2013 it merged with Mackintosh, Bradley and Price, and in 2022 it celebrated 125 years in practice. August 2024 brought a fitting milestone: a return to Cathedral Square, with new premises in the newly constructed The Regent.
Malley & Co describes itself as a modern, future-focused firm built on a long foundation, and its service list reflects the legal needs of Cantabrians at every stage of life. On the personal side, the team handles wills, estates and probate, trusts, enduring powers of attorney, asset and succession planning, relationship property and family matters, and retirement village issues such as reviewing Occupation Right Agreements, funding structures and compliance.
On the commercial side, the business team supports mergers and acquisitions, business and asset sales and purchases, franchising, contracts and succession planning. Employment lawyers advise both employers and employees on agreements, restructures, grievances and workplace issues. Property work spans residential, commercial and rural transactions — buying, selling, leasing, subdivisions and finance structuring — while the litigation and dispute resolution team weighs commercial and economic factors and can guide clients through negotiation, mediation, arbitration or the courts.
What distinguishes the firm's way of working is its partner-led approach. Small teams are led by experienced partners who serve as the client's main point of contact and actively work on each matter rather than handing it off — a philosophy the firm calls one of the pillars of its practice. The current partners include Chantal Morkel (LLB, TEP), Simon Price (LLB), Creon Upton (PhD in English, LLB), Andrew Logie (LLB) and Pip Allan (LLB, BA), bringing diverse backgrounds and specialised knowledge. The firm also emphasises collaboration, pulling key team members into complex challenges to deliver better outcomes.
Engagements follow a clear four-step process. First comes information gathering: understanding the challenge, what matters to the client, and the desired outcome. Then analysis, dissecting every detail alongside the law's nuances to craft strategy. Third is advice — options presented in clear, understandable terms, with pros and cons outlined so clients can make informed decisions. Finally, implementation turns strategy into action for tangible results.
The firm occupies Level 1 of The Regent at 33 Cathedral Square, in the heart of Christchurch's CBD. New and returning clients can make contact by phone on +64 3 379 0712 or by email at [email protected]. Because the first stage of the firm's process is about understanding your situation and goals, it pays to come prepared to talk through what the matter involves and the outcome you are hoping for.
Whether you are buying a home, planning your estate, navigating a separation, growing a business or facing a dispute, Malley & Co offers what its long history promises: expert advice, pragmatic solutions and support you can rely on.