Family Lawyers in Takapuna

Two people seated opposite each other in a quiet room, one holding a tissue, the other making notes on a clipboard

About Our Practice

Kirkwood & Hanley is a two director family law practice on Hurstmere Road. We have been here since 2011, first above a shop at the beach end, and on the same street ever since.

We only do family law. That is a deliberate choice. It means we are not fitting your matter around a commercial file that pays better, and it means the person across the table has seen your situation many times before, even though you have not.

How the Practice Started

We met working in the family team of a large Auckland firm. Both of us kept running into the same problem, which was that the clients who needed the most care were the ones the billing model had the least patience for.

We left in 2011 and set up on our own with a shared office, one laptop each and a landline. The intention was modest and it has not really changed. Take on fewer files than a big firm would, and give each of them proper attention.

We have stayed at two directors on purpose. We have been asked more than once why we do not grow, and the honest answer is that the thing people value about us is the thing that would go first.

Between us we have been practising family law in Auckland for more than thirty years.

The Directors

Ruth Kirkwood

Admitted in 2004 and in family law ever since. Ruth handles most of our relationship property work, including the harder matters involving trusts and family businesses. She is regularly appointed as Lawyer for the Child by the North Shore Family Court.

Michael Hanley

Admitted in 2007, after four years in the family team of a large city firm. Michael takes most of our care of children and protection order work, and is trained in Family Dispute Resolution. He appears in the Family Court most weeks.

People arrive thinking the law will tell them who was right. It will not. It decides what happens next, and the sooner we get to that, the cheaper and calmer it goes.

Michael Hanley, Director

Close view of two people's hands as they sit facing each other

What You Can Expect

One Lawyer, Start to Finish

The director you first meet keeps your file. Nothing is handed down to someone junior halfway through, and you never have to explain your situation twice.

Plain Answers About Cost

You will be told what something is likely to cost before it is done, and when we cannot give you a figure we will tell you what it depends on.

Court Only When It Helps

Most matters settle through negotiation or mediation. We will say so when that is the better route, even though it is the smaller fee.

Talk to Us

Get in touch

If you are not sure whether you need a lawyer yet, ring anyway. A short conversation costs nothing and it usually saves people a good deal of worrying.

Prefer to write first? Send a short note and we will come back to you. Nothing is assumed, and nothing is owed, until you decide to instruct us.