Mortlocks Lawyers is a family-run Christchurch law firm based in Ilam, providing high quality, professional advice and personal service through experienced lawyers. The firm was first established in 1963 as Hensley Mortlock, when Paul Mortlock went into partnership with Len Hensley, and later grew into a family practice when Paul was joined by his three children, Lucy, Guy and James.
Mortlocks offers a wide range of general legal expertise, including residential, rural and commercial property, sales and purchases of businesses, leases, family trusts, estates, wills, powers of attorney, relationship property and other legal issues. The firm prides itself on developing strong, long-lasting relationships with clients, who deal directly with an experienced lawyer who knows their requirements and stays involved in their work from start to finish.
After the Christchurch earthquakes damaged the firm's central city offices, Mortlocks relocated to its current premises in Ilam, on the corner of Ilam and Creyke Roads above LB & Co. Café, offering easy access and client car parking off Ilam Road.
As a law firm, Mortlocks operates under formal terms of engagement, provided alongside a client-specific letter of engagement, and complies with Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act requirements in place since 1 July 2018, including collecting identification documentation from clients.
Mortlocks Lawyers traces its roots back to 1963, when Paul Mortlock went into partnership with Len Hensley to form Hensley Mortlock. Over time, the firm became a genuinely family affair, with Paul later joined in partnership by his three children, Lucy, Guy and James. That family thread continues to define the practice today, now operating as Mortlocks Lawyers from its base in Ilam, Christchurch.
Mortlocks covers a wide spread of general legal work, built around the everyday and life-stage legal needs of individuals, families and businesses. The firm advises on residential, rural and commercial property, sales and purchases of businesses, leases, family trusts, estates, wills, powers of attorney and relationship property, along with other general legal issues that come up along the way. It's the kind of practice designed to support clients through many different chapters of their personal and business lives, rather than specialising narrowly in just one area.
What Mortlocks emphasises most is the relationship side of legal work. The firm prides itself on developing strong, long-lasting relationships with clients, who deal directly with an experienced lawyer who understands their requirements and stays involved in their matter from beginning to end — rather than being passed between different people at different stages. That continuity is presented as central to how the firm operates, alongside a commitment to giving high quality, professional advice in an approachable manner.
Mortlocks wasn't always based in Ilam. The firm's central city offices were damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes, prompting a move to its current premises on the corner of Ilam and Creyke Roads. The new location, situated above LB & Co. Café, was chosen partly for the convenience it offers clients, with easy access and dedicated client car parking available off Ilam Road — a practical consideration for clients coming in for meetings, particularly those dealing with property or estate matters that often involve paperwork and documents.
Like all law firms, Mortlocks operates under formal terms of engagement, which outline the working relationship between client and lawyer. These general terms and conditions are available to read on the firm's website, and are supplemented by a client-specific letter of engagement provided once work begins.
Mortlocks also complies with the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act, in place since 1 July 2018. In practice, this means the firm needs to collect identification and other information from clients, even those it has worked with before. The firm makes this easier by publishing a checklist of the documentation required, so clients can come prepared when they meet with their lawyer.
Mortlocks Lawyers can be reached by phone on 03 3799 222 or by email at [email protected] for general enquiries; individual lawyers' direct email addresses are also listed on the firm's People page. The office is located at Level 1, 136 Ilam Road, on the corner of Ilam and Creyke Roads in Christchurch, with the postal address PO Box 31192, Ilam, Christchurch 8444.
For Christchurch clients looking for a law firm with deep roots, a genuinely personal approach, and a broad range of general legal expertise under one roof, Mortlocks Lawyers offers over six decades of family-run experience, now conveniently based in Ilam.