Partnership status after 18 months at firm

Newly promoted Hollister-Jones Lellman partner Anna Pollett.

Tauranga law firm Hollister-Jones Lellman has promoted senior crown prosecutor Anna Pollett - who relocated from Auckland 18 months ago to join the firm - to the partnership.

"Anna is an example of the professionals moving out of Auckland to Tauranga, investing in our area and still maintaining excellent careers," said practice manager Anne-Marie McCall.

"There has been quite a bit of commentary recently about the glass ceiling in legal practice in New Zealand, despite the number of female graduates outnumbering males," she said. "Anna's promotion brings our firm to an equal ratio of male and female partners."

Managing partner Kathryn Lellman leads the private practice, with Greg Hollister-Jones leading the criminal and regulatory practice. Mr Hollister-Jones holds the crown prosecutor warrant for the Bay of Plenty. The fourth partner, Nick Elsmore handles business and education-related matters.

Ms McCall said the firm had also recently promoted Richard Jenson to associate. Mr Jenson, a crown counsel and commercial litigator, also formerly worked in Auckland before joining the firm five years ago, and has been responsible for some major cases.

The firm specialises in litigation, but added a conveyancing arm last year, and has four partners plus 19 staff.

Ms Pollett, who has two children, said she was delighted with the way things had turned out. She formerly spent 13 years with Meredith Connell, which held the sole crown warrant for Auckland for many decades until it was split last year with Kayes Fletcher Walker.

"The move to the Bay has been excellent on two fronts," she said. "One is on a professional level. Greg and I share many of the same values in terms of the conduct of crown prosecutions."

Ms Lellman, who also had two children, was an excellent mentor with an incredible work ethic, she said.

"And it has certainly been a lot easier to be able to manage having a family and a successful practice in a place like Tauranga. The lifestyle is absolutely fantastic."