Why Bell Gully

​Bell Gully is committed to using our skills to help the wider community – a key part of our aim to be the best law firm possible.

We take this role in the community seriously, and we offer our support in a number of ways. Many of our people individually volunteer or provide free legal advice to a range of charitable, community and sporting organisations.

Pro bono

New Zealand's non-profit organisations do an amazing job providing essential community services at the grassroots level. In order to boost the potential of our country's non-profits, Bell Gully are committed to a diverse and inclusive pro bono programme.

In 2009, we formalised our pro bono programme and set ourselves some long-term goals, culminating in an annual pro bono budget of $1 million in fee-equivalent time. All our lawyers and staff are encouraged to participate in pro bono work.

Read more about our pro bono programme on our community investment page.

Community activities

Bell Gully is committed to contributing in meaningful ways to projects that support the wellbeing of our communities and the positive growth and development of people within them.

One of the ways we do this is with our long-term sponsorship and support of organisations including Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand, Auckland Regional Charity Hospital, NZ Aids Foundation and the Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand. For over a decade our summer clerks have also spent time helping pro bono clients as part of their annual community leadership initiative.

Learn more about our community activities on our community investment page.​

Our culture defines us and remains a core part of the firm's identity. In order to remain the best law firm in New Zealand, we must constantly invest in our culture and create an environment where our people feel comfortable and can give their best.

Bell Gully's culture starts with our people. We host many events throughout the year that allow staff to get to know their colleagues and develop stronger connections. These range from team lunches, through to the mid-year ball, the annual family Christmas party and end of year Christmas function. Staff are invited to Friday night drinks each week, with food catered.

Health and wellbeing are core elements of Bell Gully's culture. As such, staff are welcome to attend various seminars throughout the year on everything from healthy cooking and responsible alcohol consumption to skincare. The firm's dedicated sports committee also runs a range of activities for staff to participate in. This includes lunchtime yoga, inter-firm sporting competitions and corporate running events.

Each floor has a "breakout room", where coffee machines, snacks and fresh fruit are provided.

We have a 'dress for your day' clothing policy which allows staff to manage their own professional dress code based on their schedule.

Our staff newsletter BellConnect is published fortnightly on Friday which highlights what's happening in and around the firm.​​​

No matter the size of a client, Bell Gully aims to build a strong relationship that enables deals and transactions to progress as smoothly as possible.

As a result of our successes over the years, we've built a formidable client list that continues to grow. It includes iconic New Zealand companies such as Air New Zealand, ANZ, ASB, Fletcher Building, Ngāi Tahu, Vodafone, Xero, public sector bodies, the New Zealand Treasury, the Ministry of Education and Vector Gas. We are very proud of our clients and the contribution we have been able to make to their success.

We're equally as proud working with emerging and innovative companies, helping them grow their businesses and New Zealand's economic future.

Our summer clerks get the opportunity to attend client meetings and become involved in transactions. This gives them a unique insight into what's involved in deals of all sizes and scopes.

Some examples of work we've done recently:

Vodafone New Zealand sale
Advised Vodafone Group Plc on its sale of Vodafone New Zealand to a consortium of Infratil and Brookfield Asset Management for NZ$3.4 billion, making it one of the largest New Zealand M&A transactions on record.

Trade Me takeover
Advised Apax Partners LLP on its NZ$2.56 billion takeover of Trade Me - the largest takeover undertaken to date in NZ via scheme of arrangement.​

Formica Group sale
Advised Fletcher Building on the successful sale of the Formica Group to Broadview (a member of HAL Trust group, which is listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange) for US$840 million (NZ$1.2 billion).

Our people are the foundation for our continuing success. We encourage and value diversity and recognise it as a source of our competitive advantage - seeking out and fostering talent regardless of age, culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political views or physical ability.

Bell Gully are proud to have been certified with the Rainbow Tick and are signatories of the New Zealand Law Society's Gender Equality Charter.

To empower everyone to reach their full potential we embrace diversity. In line with our values, we strive to build an inclusive, productive culture that respects and appreciates the individual and promotes the value they bring to the team.

Read more about our diversity and inclusion values here.​​​

We like to recognise and celebrate the achievements of both the firm and our people.

Over many years, the world's most reputable and respected legal directories have ranked the firm and our people at the top of their expertise areas.

We also have an unparalleled track record of winning major legal awards from around the world. These recognise a combination of strong client relationships, the high calibre of our people, the scale and breath of our work and the innovation of the firm as a whole.

Click here to view the latest on Bell Gully's awards.​