A number of law firms in Christchurch are still operating from temporary locations following the recent earthquake on the South Island of New Zealand. Residents and business owners in Christchurch were woken by a 7.0 Richter scale earthquake early Saturday morning, causing damage and injuries across the Canterbury region.
Chapman Tripp's Christchurch team have not been permitted to return to their office due to safety reasons and are working out of the All Seasons Hotel. Also without premises are Buddle Findlay and Duncan Cotterill, both situated in Clarendon Tower, which remains off-limits while engineers assess damage to the building. Duncan Cotterill chief executive officer Janice Fredric said the firm’s offices had suffered minor damage and that the firm would be providing full service again, “as soon as we receive council clearance to re-enter the building”. Despite not having access to their offices, the firm has continued to provide client services during the past three days.
Harmans Lawyers city offices have been closed since Saturday but are expected to open again on Thursday. The firm had planned to hold an Employment Law breakfast seminar on Friday, however this has now been postponed until further notice.
With the cost of damage to the region expected to be in the billions, legal practitioners will undoubtedly be in high demand once the claims start to flow from residents and business owners looking to recoup some of the losses they have suffered from their relevant insurance providers. Chapman Tripp has already released a “help sheet” for residents and businesses in the region affected by the earthquake.
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