A leading Tauranga law firm is meeting the growing demand for employment property law experts in the Bay of Plenty head on by announcing two key appointments.

Sharp Tudhope's Shima Grace and Brooke Courtney. Photo: Supplied.

Sharpe Tudhope in January 2015 will promote employment law specialist Shima Grice to Partner while property lawyer Brooke Courtney will also join the firm as an Associate.

Sharp Tudhope general manager Peter Wilson says the firm's client base has grown in the past year, particularly in the property and commercial areas.

The new appointments will help cement Sharp Tudhope's reputation as a firm which attracts top quality, experienced lawyers from around New Zealand and overseas.

'Shima joined our Dispute Resolution team in 2008 and is growing our employment practice. She is becoming very highly regarded in that area and we're delighted to reward her efforts by promoting her to Partner.”

Prior to joining Sharp Tudhope, Grice worked for a specialist employment law firm in Auckland, and as in-house counsel in London advising on employment and industrial relations.

She now specialises in all aspects of employment law, as well as health and safety and civil litigation.

Shima acknowledges her promotion is a 'huge vote of confidence” and says she gets immense satisfaction from helping clients resolve employment disputes in the Bay.

'Employment law can be frustrating, for both employers and employees, so it is always satisfying when I feel a client has had a just result.

'I enjoy learning about clients' businesses, what they do, how they work. Employment law gives you the chance to go behind the scenes of a business, and I find that fascinating.”

Property law specialist Brooke Courtney joined the firm earlier this month, having previously worked at a Hamilton law firm for seven years, and in London where she developed a legal database for New Zealand lawyers and managed a charitable law centre.

In Tauranga Courtney will deal with all aspects of property law including residential, rural and commercial property sales, purchases, developments, subdivisions, leases, public works and land registration matters.

'I also have a special interest in trust law, including trust structuring, management, trustee liability and beneficiary rights. Trust management is changing, requiring much more of trustees nowadays.

'I can help clients set up and manage trusts where they add value, or help them exit trusts when necessary.”

Brooke says she wants to work for a firm that has a great team, a dynamic approach to legal matters and a passion for looking after people and the environment.

She loves to achieve successful outcomes for her clients and says the law is interesting in that there is often no clear-cut answer to a problem and a commercial approach to issues often achieves the best results.

'I really enjoy working with people to develop a strategy that suits their needs and also fits within the legal frameworks.”