Local lawyer on Hot List

Simon Collett.

Holland Beckett partner Simon Collett has been named on NZ Lawyer magazine's 2014 Hot List of trailblazing lawyers.

Mr Collett is the only lawyer on the list from Tauranga and the only one listed from outside the four main centres.

"All the others are big city lawyers - I think it's a huge credit for him and the way he's viewed in the profession," said HOBEC partner Bill Holland.

NZ Lawyers says its annual feature takes the pulse of the industry to discover which lawyers are being talked about by their peers.

Mr Holland credited Mr Collett with leading the recent growth of the firm, which has seen it expand through acquisitions into Rotorua, Whakatane and Opotiki, and the introduction of new technology.

"He's been leading a lot of the changes in this office," said Mr Holland. "He recognised the potential of the Bay. We've grown in five years from 16 lawyers to 38 lawyers."

Mr Collett said he felt making the list reflected both HOBEC's higher profile with its recent growth, as well as the larger role the firm was now playing in terms of representing iwi interests.

Mr Collett focuses on the property sector. He serves on a number of local boards, including the bay of Plenty Cricket Association. His current main charitable activity is chairing the board of the Pukehinahina Charitable Trust.